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National campaign to counter sexual harassment, Ogassapian for full gender equality

29-11-2018

The Office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs re-launched in collaboration with AUB’s KIP project the national campaign entitled “Mish Bassita’. This was held during an event last Monday celebrating the kickoff of this year’s 16-days campaign against violence against women. The event seeks to highlight the various forms of sexual harassment in society and which exemplify violence against women. The campaign also calls for the adoption of a law to criminalise sexual harassment as per the decision of the Cabinet on March 8th 2017 and which was referred to the House for endorsement (c.f.: goo.gl/fKMVJT). In addition, the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Jean Ogassapian, noted in an interview with An Nahar that his Ministry is following up the pioneering work of women NGOs in order to achieve gender equality. Ogassapian reiterated that the issues of gender, equality and GBV have become more on the table since the establishment of the Ministry as these issues are now debated widely and for the first time in the Cabinet which resulted in the referral of law to the Parliament. Ogassapian noted that “we need more work to reach gender equality”. (An Nahar, November 29th 2018)

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Woman gone missing, body of another in a dumpster, dead infant in Zghorta

28-11-2018

During four days, and one week after pictures were circulated of two missing women in Shwayfat and Akkar, the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces, under the mandate of competent judiciary, circulated on the 23rd of November, the picture of Sara Rida Berri (29) who went missing after she left her parents’ house in the Southern Suburbs locality of Sfeir on 21/11/2018. On the other hand, Al Mustaqbal newspaper stated in its yesterday issue, that Maarouf H., after strangling his wife Rashida B. to death, placed her body in a bag and dumped it in a waste sorting plant with the help of a friend. In the details, according to the killer husband, he fought with wife who repeatedly threatened to kill herself, telling her, I will finish the job. The culprit admitted to strangling his wife using a scarf and when he made sure she was dead, called his friend to help him put the body in a bag and threw her at a landfill. Also, the body of a boy infant was found yesterday in the town of Majdlaya, Zgharta. A security and forensic squad arrived at the scene for investigation. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, November 24, 27, 28, 2018)

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Racist rulings against migrant domestic women workers

28-11-2018

In its issue of November 26, Al Akhbar daily wrote about racial discrimination by the Lebanese Judiciary against migrant domestic workers. It cited samples of final verdicts issued by judges against MWDWs, such as: “We condemn the defendant, born in 1983, African national (…)”; “We order the referral of 38 Sri Lankans of the Bangladeshi nationality (…)”. The newspaper highlighted two main issues pertaining to the above rulings. The first is related to the terminology still used by the Judiciary, and the second is the pre-sentencing and conviction forms. Those patterns used by judges in similar cases lack basic information like the name and nationality, which are often replaced by the case number or the date of birth of the migrant worker. The nationality in most cases is “African”, Al Akhbar noted. Lawyer Qassem Karim said that upon protesting to one of the judges over the pre-printed versions of verdicts, which are full of racist vocabulary, the judge answered him, “it is work pressure”. The newspaper related stories of the suffering of migrant domestic workers, mentioning Juliana who returned penniless to her country after six years of work in Lebanon. Juliana, who lived in a confined cellar, isolated from the outside world and from the family she worked for, was paid for 11 months only, Al Akhbar wrote. She said she put up with all this torment hopeful of seeing her kids one day. After a while, she started to suffer physical and mental complications but was never treated, which forced her female employer to return her to her country. On the other hand, the National News Agency reported that Ethiopian migrant worker, Gitta, (25) was found hanging after being strangled with a scarf at the house of her employer in Zawtar Sharqiyeh. The employer is currently in Turkey for business. Security forces arrived at the scene for investigation. (AL Akhbar, L’Orient Le Jour, November 26, 28, 2018)

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Rashaya Fukhar holds on to pottery craft

28-11-2018

In its issue of today, Al Mustaqbal newspaper shed light on the art pottery making in Rashaya Fukhar, Hasbaya, pointing out that residents of the area are keen to revive one of the earliest crafts in their region. On the subject, the former mukhtar, Geryis Hafiz Khalil, explained that Rashaya was 30 years ago an industrial village compared to the neighboring villages and was in need of a large workforce. He lamented the decline of vintage crafts due to several factors, notably neglect, the absence of government initiatives for rural development and promotion of traditional trades, namely pottery and, foreign competition, mainly from China, to domestic ceramics, particularly from Rashaya which is distinguished for its thin and colored texture. One of the very few experienced craftspersons still hanging on to this traditional industry is Jihad Esbir. The latter criticized planners and organizers of heritage and artisan events in many Lebanese towns who use foreign pottery masters and claim them as Lebanese artisans. (Al Mustaqbal, November 28, 2018)

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Silicon implants threaten women’s health

28-11-2018

A recent study has revealed that silicon implants could increase the risk of arthritis, endometriosis and even skin cancer among women, Al Diyar reported on Saturday. The study, which is the biggest on breast implants to date, was conducted by a team at the MD Andeson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, Houston. It covered 100,000 female patients between 2007 and 2010, including 80,000 women who underwent the surgery. The remaining percentage had saline implants using silicon bags filled with sterile saline solution. Researchers have found that women who underwent silicon surgery had a higher chance of developing serious health complications, including rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren syndrome, which is a disorder of the immune system characterized by dry eyes and mouth, in addition to the possibility of skin hardening and stiffness of chronic connective tissue. Researchers also found that women who underwent silicon surgery were at risk of stillbirth, the death of the fetus in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The study has shown that those women had a higher risk of skin cancer, about 4 times higher than women who got saline implants. (Al Diyar, November 24, 2018)

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Projects for youth education and innovation

27-11-2018

Within the framework of ‘Public policies and Lubnan al Qawi’, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), minister Jibran Bassil launched yesterday four projects targeting youth. These are: Lebanon in a Picture, and the political tourism program, granting students preparing their masters or doctoral thesis the right to use the Parliament Library in their research, sharing political, economic and social dynamics and understanding the real performance and context of work inside the Lebanese public institutions. Bassil said the projects were part of a large national workshop that cannot be carried out by a single lawmaker, but is the responsibility of all, particularly, civil education and political education designed to build the national identity which is the core of the work. Meanwhile, Saida was the scene yesterday for the Model Arab League MAL 2018 workshops implemented jointly by LAU and the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development for the 8th consecutive year. Around 333 Middle and High School students from 27 private and public schools in Saida and environs participated this year. To note, this year’s subject was innovation, where participants were asked to address it under more than one theme, like for example, ‘youth and innovation’ and ‘women and innovation’. In the same vein, An Nahar daily drew attention to the cultural and educational exchange programs by the US Embassy Public Affairs Bureau, pointing to the YES program that encourages students to attend an American school and to the experience gained by the youth from studying abroad. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, November 24, 27, 2018)

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ICT & learn English for women empowerment

27-11-2018

The ITU Arab Regional Conference opened yesterday in Beirut under the theme: ‘ICT for Women’s Empowerment’ in collaboration with the Arab Women Organization (AWO), Internet Society (ISOC), World Bank Group and the Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB). During the conference, the regional director of ITU office, Ibrahim Haddad, stressed the importance of information technology for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as for women empowerment. For his part, the World Bank regional director for Mashreq, Saroj Kumar Jha, emphasized the role of IT and internet in economic development and in creating jobs for the youth. Similarly, AWO secretary general, Fadia Kiwan, pointed out that the organization is keen on transferring technological skills to Arab women to facilitate their access to the IT labor market. On the other hand, the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, attended on Saturday a workshop for Teaching Women English – TWE program implemented by USPEaK organization. The program offers a six month course of English language, cultural activities and skills workshops for women of various social and economic backgrounds, a statement by the US Embassy said. The US government has, through the Bureau of Public Affairs, invested nearly USD 3.9 million in the said program since its inception in 2008, thus allowing some 8800 women to learn the basics of English, the statement added. (Al Mustaqbal, November 26, 27, 2018)

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Darina Saliba, President of UNESCO International Center for Human Sciences

27-11-2018

Darina Saliba Abi Chedid won last week the presidency of the International Center for Human Sciences in Byblos of UNESCO after a competition with 22 contestants from different countries. Abi Chedid to recall, holds a degree in political science from LAU (2000) and has completed her postgraduate studies in international relations from the same university. She then pursued her higher studies in international and European law from Paris-Sud University and earned a PhD in law from the same university. She is a lecturer at several universities in Lebanon and France. (Al Mustaqbal, November 26, 2018)

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Amendments to reinforce domestic violence law in Lebanon

27-11-2018

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 10 lawmakers forwarded a draft bill to the Parliament aimed at amending the Domestic Violence Law No. 293/2014. The draft was announced during a press conference yesterday in the presence of the head of Kafa Organization, Zoya Rouhana and NCLW members. The MPs to recall are: Ibrahim Kenaan, Edie Abillama’, Estphan Dweihi, Paula Yacoubian, Taymour Jumblat, Sammy Gemayel, Shamel Rukuz, Michel Mousa, Nazih Najm and Nawaf Mousawi. Rukuz explained that the penalties included in the present law are far from being a serious deterrent, pointing to the new draft law which embraces 11 amendments that cover all the aspects of the law. Similarly, while Rouhana hailed the parliamentary blocs for backing the proposal, Faten Abu Chakra said the NCLW has submitted the draft through the justice ministry, hoping it will soon be ratified. At the end of the conference, Kafa distributed the text of the amendments notably the following: Redefining the family, redefining domestic violence, criminalizing domestic violence, adopting the principle of the specialization of judges in cases related to domestic violence, protection of women, inclusiveness of children in protection regardless of the age of custody and finally, reserving the right of the mother victim to accompany her children. You can find the full amendments on the following link: https://bit.ly/2ByBlN4. (Al Mustaqbal 27 November 2018)

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Campaign to raise age of marriage, proposal to amend law on domestic violence

26-11-2018

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, on November 25 of every year, which coincides with the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign (till December 10), the Presidential Palace in Baabda was lit orange yesterday to mark the occasion and express hope for a bright future free from all forms of violence. In a related development, UN Women and NCLW launched a joint campaign to raise awareness on the consequences and implications of gender-based violence and gender inequality. The said campaign calls especially for ending child marriage in Lebanon, which is considered a form of gender-based violence, through the adoption of a legislation raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 years. Named Bakirr Alaya, the campaign was launched on social media under the hashtag #Bakirr3laya. In parallel, and in collaboration with Kafa organization and NCLW, MPs Ibrahim Kenaan, Estaphan Dweihi, Paula Yacoubian, Taymour Jumblat, Sammy Gemayel, Shamel Rukuz and Michel Moussa are holing a news conference today to present the proposal for amendment of the Domestic Violence Law No. 293/2014. For its part, Al Diyar newspaper reported in an investigative feature published today that Arab women are among the world’s most vulnerable women, with nearly one third of them victims of violence. (For more on the article, click on https://goo.gl/3LTxEX). (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, November 25, 26, 2018)

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