RDFL organises a round table on early marriage and its impact on society

Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises (RDFL) organized yesterday a round table on early marriage and its impact on society.  The event was held under the auspices of the Minister of Social Affairs, Mr. Rachid Derbas and in coordination with the Bar Association of Beirut, and was implemented within the framework of RDFL’s current women rights programme funded by Swedish Kvinna till Kvinna.

A number of participants intervened in this round table notably Maitre Mirna Azar, head of the Beirut Bar Association, Georges Jreij, Judge Fawzi Khamis, and MoSA representative, Abeer Abdel Samad who indicated that “the subject of early marriage gained further highlights in Lebanon after the Syrian crisis”. The RDFL project coordinator, Maitre Otaibah Merhbi, noted that there is no unified law on minimum age of marriage in Lebanon and that is exacerbated by the diversity (15) of religious family laws.

The event ended with a series of recommendations, namely a) ensuring that all marriage certificates are recorded and impose penalties in case they are not; b) endorse a civil law that determines minimum age of marriage; c) setting up of a hotline at the Ministry of Social Affairs to receive complaints related to violence against minors; d) strengthening the role of the judiciary especially the power of  juvenile judge to interfere to protect minors from dangers; and e) organize awareness raising activities on the dangers of early marriage.

Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Safir 20 May 2014