25 Syrian displaced women in the Beqaa trained on ways to counter VAW

Coinciding with the campaign entitled: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, the German Freidrich Naumann Foundation, Sawa for Development and Aid and the Arab Institute for Human Rights, completed yesterday a series of training workshops targeting Syrian women refugees located in the he Beqaa camps of Jib Janin, Bar Elias, Gazeh and Majdal Anjar. The ceremony took place at Hudood club in Majdel Anjar and Jussoor School in Jib Janin. The Arab Institute director, Jumana Mer3hi who facilitated the training sessions explained that the 4-month event was aimed at building the capacities of some 25 Syrian women refugees. This, she stated, will enable them to develop their knowledge and skills on women’s rights and on ways of fighting discrimination, as well as in communicating with and listening to victims of violence. Likewise, Sawa head, Nawal Mdalali, pointed out that the focus on women and children is mainly because both categories represent the most vulnerable segments of society that are subjected to violence, adding that the scale of gender-based violence rises usually during wars. For her part, Friedrich Naumann’s representative in Lebanon in charge of the project, Yara Asmar, explained that the purpose of the training is to build the capacity of displaced women to address difficulties which they encounter in the host country. (Al Mustaqbal, December 4, 2015)