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Saudi justice minister hires women for the first time

15-11-2017

The Saudi justice minister, Sheikh Walid Bin Mohamad al Samaani issued a directive opening positions for women for the first time in the Kingdom’s history. The four posts include, social researcher, Sharia researcher, legal researcher and administrative aide. Semaani also stressed that the ministry of justice has been keen to provide jobs for Saudi women given their role in facilitating the provision of services for women beneficiaries in the courts, including lawsuit documentation. He commended the distinctive and positive contributions by Saudi women across all industries and sectors. To recall, Saudi Arabia has taken several bold measures to reduce unemployment among females. According to the General Authority for Statistics, the rate of unemployment declined from 34.5% at the end of last year to 33.1% at the end of the second quarter of the current year. The Kingdom’s 2030 vision goals are aimed to raise the participation rate of women in the labor market from 22% to 30%. (Al Hayat, November 15, 2017)

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Future women training in Beqaa on proposal writing & marketing

15-11-2017

The Future Movement Women’s Sector in the Central Beqaa organized yesterday a training workshop on creative entrepreneurship, proposal writing and marketing on social media. The workshop, implemented in partnership with SAWA Association for Development and the University of Manchester ‘In place of war’ project (IPOW), targeted a number of women and saw the presence of SAWA president Nawal Mdallali, Future women coordinator Nahid Madi and members of the coordination office. The one-month course seeks to empower women economically and socially, as well as building their capacities to facilitate their access to the workplace and promote their undertakings via virtual communication networks. After the completion of the training which takes place over two weeks for two hours daily, the beneficiaries will receive certificates from IPOW, Madi said. Mdallali for her part explained the steps women should follow to effectively develop their abilities for their own benefit and for the benefit of their family and community. Mdallali further outlined the basic criteria for marketing and advertising via social media. (Al Mustaqbal, November 15, 2017)

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Lebanese getting tight on wedding expenses

14-11-2017

In its analysis of the present situation in the country, L’Orient Le Jour said the Lebanese are cutting down on lavish wedding expenses. The newspaper in this respect cited Nabil Baz the general director of Promofair, organizer of the Wedding Folies (Biel, November 9-12) and Antony Semaan, planner of the Royal Wedding Fair (Forum De Beyrouth, October 27-31) as saying that wedding events are important to the Lebanese people. Baz revealed that some 17,000 guests visited the exhibition despite the political tension in the wake of PM Hariri’s resignation, but, he added, notwithstanding the big crowds, the Lebanese are starting to cut down their spending on weddings. In this context, Maroun Abu Kheir, Wouroud flower shop owner, told the newspaper that customers have spent only USD 8,000 to 12,000 on flowers this years, compared to USD 25,000 to 30,000 in the past few years. The Lebanese soon-to-weds are now more aware of the need to shrink the number of guests (it dropped from 500 to 200 persons, according to L’Orient Le Jour). The decline in the wedding planning business, Kheir explained, is largely attributed to the difficult economic conditions in the country. Economic experts on the other hand, said the waning situation in the country has started with the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011. Likewise, Ayoub Sabagh, manager of a professional dance (zaffat) group noted that business has been declining for four years. )For the feature in French, visit the link below: http://bit.ly/2iWmEZx( . (L’Orient Le Jour, November 14, 2017)

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Combating sexual harassment in Lebanon

14-11-2017

In its Thursday’s edition, Al Hayat newspaper brought to light the phenomenon of sexual harassment in Lebanon pointing to several civil and government-led initiatives to counter it. One of these initiatives, is the #MeToo hashtag which spread virally on social media. A number of Lebanese women related their experience with sexual assault at the workplace, on the streets, in taxis and public transport buses. Also, the ministry of state for women affairs in August launched the #Mesh Basita campaign stating that sexual harassment is not okay. Under this hashtag, young Rachel commented on Facebook saying: “I have to keep pepper spray with me because of the many terrible experiences in taxicabs.” Another group of activists kicked off the #harasstracker initiative in March 2016, a platform to report and document sexual harassment. On this campaign, Nay Rahi told Al Hayat that the issue is not about the prevalence of sexual harassment but it’s normalization. Harassment is seen as an integral part of women’s experiences in the public space, hence should be dismissed. In conclusion, Al Hayat recalled the early start of these initiatives in Lebanon back in 2010, the ‘speak out, don’t hide’ (takkalami wala takhjali) campaign. (Al Hayat, November 9, 2017)

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Airbnb a fast-emerging trend in Lebanon

14-11-2017

In its Friday issue, Al Ittihad newspaper drew attention to the fast-emerging easy-to-access online property finder and vacation rentals at very competitive prices for tourists. In this respect, Al Ittihad spotlighted the https://www.airbnb.com/ portal showcasing simple, luxurious or contemporary apartments for daily rent in the capital and across Lebanon and the globe with special conditions unlike guesthouses, hotels or furnished apartments. These accommodations, the newspaper wrote, could be small apartments, modern studios, shared or single rooms for rent on daily basis found all over Lebanon. It is a new trend available for everyone, Al Ittihad went on to say. Anyone who wants to rent a flat can access the website or download the mobile application. It is possible to book and get the keys of the apartment with no need to actually see it or meet the proprietor. Prices per night of these apartments vary from USD 50, USD 150, USD 250 or even more. Young people seeking privacy are the main customers on the lookout for Airbnb services. The head of the touristic federation, Jean Beiruti, told Al Ittihad reporter that the Airbnb rental is different from a regular hotel in many ways. The landlord or property owner does not have to declare to the General Security Department the identity of his occupant/renter as is the case with guesthouses or hotels, rendering them more loose in terms of security and safety. He said this kind of accommodation does not quite compete with the notion of hotels or furnished apartments. (Al Ittihad, November 10, 2017)

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Sexual harassment rampant at workplace in Egypt

14-11-2017

L’Orient Le Jour highlighted yesterday the endemic sexual harassment at the workplace in Egypt, based on a number of studies revealing that 95.3% to 99.3% of females are sexually harassed in the North African state. In its feature which focused on harassment at the workplace, the newspaper cited the New Woman Foundation (NWF) as saying that most women interviewed by the organization have admitted that they have been sexually harassed inside the four walls of the office regardless of the way they dress, their age, title or post or their social or academic status. NWF expressed concern over the way in which women are sexually coerced or forced to do business against their will. A study published by UNFPA in 2015, has shown that more than 2.5 million women were subject to sexual harassment outside home, with some 139.600 working females (nearly 3.7% of the total working women) admitting harassment at the workplace. The study also has shown a higher propensity of sexual harassment in private institutions, particularly in industrial factories. Many confirmed that their male colleagues refuse to testify with them should they decide to file a grievance at the company’s administration, and even go as far as putting the blame for sexual abuse on the girl or woman worker herself. While the UN agency lamented the lack of data assessing the impact of harassment on the quality and performance of women, it warned that this could lead to a permanent absence of women. (L’Orient Le Jour, November 14, 2017)

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Lebanon very low and regressing on Global Gender Gap

13-11-2017

Lebanon ranked 137th out of 144 world countries and 11th among 14 Arab states, according to the 2017 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. The country came in the 39th place in the Gender Gap Index among 40 middle to high income countries covered by the survey. Lebanon’s global rank fell by 10 points based on the same group of states from the 2010 survey when the country was first included in the index. To note, the latter ranks countries according to their position vis-à-vis gender equality rather than according to the degree of efforts exerted in female empowerment. It also aims to calculate the gender-based disparities in each country and to monitor their progress over time. The above index is based on 4 sub-indices which are: economic participation and opportunities; educational attainment; health and survival and political empowerment. The results of the survey published in Byblos Bank Group bulletin, have shown that Lebanon had a narrower gender gap compared to Saudi Arabia, Mali, Iran, Chad, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen among Arab states. The country won 0.596 scores, closing nearly 60% of the gap. Lebanon’s score, however, came lower than the global average of 0.697 points, the middle to high income score of 0.698 points and the Arab average of 0.607 points. Lebanon’s score dropped by around 0.3% from the 2016 survey and by 2% from the 2% average of the year 2010. For the full report, kindly follow the link below: https://goo.gl/pXcppf (An Nahar, November 13, 2017)

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Rola Deeb elected president of Tripoli Dentist Association

13-11-2017

Doctor Rola Deeb was elected yesterday as the president of the Lebanese Dentist Association- Tripoli receiving 209 votes against 155 for Dr. Toni Shahin. The pension Fund elected members are: Dr. Ghassan Makhloof and Dr. Nicola Jallad; Disciplinary Council elected members are: Dr. Rola Tabsheh and Dr. Ahmad Ismail. On the occasion, Dr. Deeb thanked all her supporters, commending the democratic participation by all doctors and promising to work to the interests of the Union. (Al Mustaqbal, November 13, 2017)

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UN urges Iraq to safeguard women’s rights

13-11-2017

Following the Iraqi Parliament’s endorsement on November 1 of amendments to the personal status law which provoked feminist anger, (: https://goo.gl/3MaAXD), The United Nations Mission for Iraq appealed in a statement on Thursday to all Iraqi factions to engage in wide consultations over these amendments in order to ensure women’s rights are fully respected and protected. “Attaining gender equality and eliminating all forms of discrimination against girls and women are fundamental rights and UN values,” the mission statement said, pointing to their suffering from violations of their basic rights and from violence in armed conflict, namely in areas controlled by the terrorist ISIS militants, and their aspirations to prioritizing the fulfillment of their rights to achieve equality with men. The UN mission made clear that this requires a comprehensive understanding of the legal and judicial processes which in some cases disrupt the realization of equality. Additionally, the statement noted, there is a pressing need for legal and institutional strategies to eradicate discrimination against women and girls. Besides, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Iraq, Jan Kubis called on the Iraqi House of Representatives to seize the opportunity to amend the personal status law, which is contrary to the UN conventions, and carry out a wider deliberation on the draft in a participatory manner to the end of reiterating commitment to and ensuring the full respect, protection and realization of women and girl’s rights in relation to matrimonial matters. (Al Hayat, November 11, 2017)

Previous related news:
Conservative amendments of Iraqi personal status law draw feminist criticisms
 

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Algerian draft bill authorizing abortion angers Islamists

13-11-2017

The new draft bill sanctioning abortion, in selected cases, which has been submitted by the Algerian ministry of health and discussed last week in the Parliament has instigated wide disagreement between supporters and opponents to it, especially Islamist parties who described some of its articles as unclear. The draft law includes a contested clause which permits the mother to resort to abortion if the medical diagnosis shows that the fetus suffers from a congenital disorder that disrupts its normal growth, or if the mother’s health is at risk because of pregnancy. The draft, according to the Parliamentary health committee, does not contradict the teachings of Islam regarding the life of the mother, however additionally, it will be codified so as not to be manipulated for illegal abortion activity by some. On the subject, and while the official institution deciding on the legitimacy of issues and which has not been asked about their viewpoint, has approved the content of the text, the head of the imams’ union, Jaloul Hjeimi, told Al Hayat newspaper that the doctor is not a faqih (jurist). “We represent the party which pronounces the irrefutable sharia perspective and we say what is legitimate and what is not,” he said, pointing out that abortion by virtue of said draft could become freely available. For his part, the imam of the Grand Mosque, member of the Scientific Council, Sheikh Ali Aya, conveyed in his address to the Parliamentary health committee the unanimous agreement by Islamic jurists on the “prohibition of fetal homicide after 120 days from his birth, except in the case in which continued pregnancy might lead to the death of the mother, as her life in this instance is absolutely necessary, provided this is supported with two medical reports that confirm that the survival of the fetus harms the mother and that her life is really at risk.” Similarly, Mansour Badawi, MP for the Islamist Justice and Development Front, disclosed work is underway to mobilize opposition against the abortion clause and the draft bill altogether. (Al Hayat, November 10, 2017)

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