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Personal status and nationality laws deprive women of their right
20-6-2019
The executive director of Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace (WLP), Lina Abu Habib, said that in a patriarchal system like Lebanon, which is immune to reforms, excuses will always be found to deprive women of their rights. Abu Habib who was speaking to L’Orient Le Jour after her participation in Women Deliver conference in Canada, said inequality is the main hitch. In personal status matters for example, the Lebanese State treats men as complete while totally disregarding the other half of its population, women, Abu Habib explained. She attributed this to the prevalent patriarchal system, on the one hand, and the reckless attitude of the State towards its citizens, on the other. Abu Habib, who is also a co-founder of My Nationality is A Right for Me and My Family Campaign, run by CRTDA, criticized the current nationality law of 1925. On the pretext of preventing permanent settlement, she said, Lebanese women are stripped of their right to confer citizenship to their family members, noting that the majority of mixed marriages involve Lebanese men and Syrian or Palestinian women, insinuating as well to the Presidential Naturalization Decree which is based on unclear grounds. The Women’s Learning Partnership, Abu Habib maintained, is currently conducting a survey in 11 countries, including Lebanon, on reforms in personal status legislations, with the aim to mobilize an international campaign with a clear task to push for gender equality. Inequality starts from the family, she explained, especially that the sectarian personal status laws in the country control marriage, divorce, inheritance and children custody matters, contrary to democracy and law. On the other hand, Abu Habib tried to not appear totally pessimistic, referring to the nationality amendment proposals submitted recently to the Legislature, but critiqued the NCLW chief’s draft in this regard. Abu Habib, who will be holding a press conference today on the nationality law, stressed that challenges are big, but she will not relinquish efforts to change reality. (L’Orient Le Jour, June 20, 2019)
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- العربية
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