Protection and legal counseling in Mount & North Lebanon

In its issue of today, An Nahar shed light on the work of the Legal Movement NGO which provides services to marginalized groups in both Mount Lebanon, the North and Akkar, covering around 76 morally and physically vulnerable cases. Among services offered by the association, the executive director, Antonia Malfi, mentioned protection, legal counseling and judicial representation, pointing out that services are not restricted to helping marginalized Lebanese women and girls, but also extends to provision of protection to LGBT persons and migrant domestic workers. Malfi distributed the cases as follows: 66% of the cases are females, 34% males, 3% children, 79% adults, 19% racial discrimination, 75% personal status cases and 10% slavery and forced labor. She highlighted a few examples treated by her association, including the case of a Lebanese mother who, with her husband and 9-year old boy, are considered stateless persons. The woman, Malfi said, is subjected to verbal and physical violence from her in-laws which forced her to leave her house and reach out to the association. The latter filed a lawsuit and won an alimony for the battered wife, in addition to the custody of her child. Another case relates to the rape of an Ethiopian MWDW, where the association filed a grievance to the prosecution on charges of rape and sexual abuse. (An Nahar, July 8, 2019)