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Silvana Lakkis, civil activist and LPHU chief
27-11-2017
In its issue of November 25, Al Ittihad newspaper focused on the life of activist Silvana Lakkis, President of the Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union (LPHU). Lakkis who has been living with paralysis since her childhood years, refused to be wheelchair-bound and instead took the case of the handicapped to the regional and international platforms, Al Ittihad wrote, describing her as the “Octopus Woman” (the woman with many arms). Lakkis has taken the determination and vigor after her mother who went all out to ensure that her daughter enjoys all her rights, like any other child. This has strengthened the qualities of leadership in the girl who grew to be known as the ‘mukhtar’ (chief) of the neighborhood’s kids. Reminiscing the disappointments in her life, Lakkis brought to mind the first setback when she was rejected by a private school close to where she lived on the pretext that “the school lacks the proper facilities and for fears of student bullying.” Later, after her transfer to a specialized institution, she became aware that people with disabilities were segregated and excluded, Lakkis told Al Ittihad reporter. Nevertheless, this incident has built up inside her a deep sense of struggle for human rights. The second mishap was when she was refused employment as a language teacher, knowing that she holds a translation degree which she earned during her medical trip to Czechoslovakia. In 1986, Lakkis joined the LPHU and moved to Saida which saw an outpouring of her capacities and potentials when she organized the LPHU’s early round of accomplishments. But she never gave in on her universal battle. She, and LPHU colleagues, staged protests against the war, resisting the partition of the country, and supported civil causes and the rights of disabled persons. Lakkis and her colleagues were among the leading activists who helped pass the 2000/220 Law on Persons with Disabilities in Lebanon. (Al Ittihad, November 25, 2017)
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