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In its issue of today, the Daily Star highlighted the challenges that women working in the security sector face in Lebanon especially those who interface with criminals and wanted individuals.  The newspaper interviewed First Sergeant in the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces, Paula Uaiss, who was working in the Forces’ investigation bureau. Uaiss spoke of the difficulties she faced notably the traditional mindsets which refuse to see women engage in these jobs.  Uaiss noted that she enjoys her job as an investigator and likes roaming the streets with her colleagues looking for wanted individuals.  However, she decided to move to the administrative bureau after a few years when she realized that she could not strike a good work-life balance which would be suitable to her future plans.  This is so especially since her working hours entail two consecutive working days followed by an off day.  This was not agreeable to her marriage plans.  Also, and as she noted, administrative work is less risky.  Uaiss emphasized the challenges that women face in this sector namely being undermined and having their skills undervalued as well as the criticisms they often face.  Uaiss referred to a personal experience she went through as she had to work as a traffic agent during one of the holidays during which time she was faced with obscenities and insults. (Daily Star, September 16,2016)

 

Al Akhbar once again highlights the issue of unemployment in Lebanon focusing on a study carried out by the UNDP on the realities of the job market in Lebanon (c.f. http://bit.ly/2cwMFeZ) which estimated that Lebanon needs to create 23,000 job opportunities annually and that is between 2013 and 2023 at a time when the job market was only able to create between 12 to 15,000 jobs during the past ten years.  The study noted that the percentage of unemployed amongst the youth between15 to 29 years, which constitute 28% of the overall population, reached 34%, representing 66% of the total unemployed, while the share of youth emigrants was estimated at 44% of total emigration. The study also notes that the rise of youth unemployment and migration is due to the fact that 41% of youth work in jobs which do not match their training as well as to shortfalls in the education and training sector. The newspaper article went on to say that the gap between job seekers and existing job descriptions in the industry varies between 10 to 15,000 jobs, and between 20 to 30,000 jobs in tourism.  Furthermore, data reveals the existence of 5,000 industrial outfits employing around 90,000 workers. On the other hand, the total number of people employed in the hospitality and leisure businesses is estimated at 155,000 employees who are distributed amongst 6,000 permanent outfits and 4,000 seasonal outfits.  At the level of the public sector, and according to the same source, some 17,000 posts in the public sector remain unfilled because of government paralysis, at a time when there is a significant surplus in the professional sector (lawyers, doctors, engineers, and pharmacists). (Al-Akhbar 14 September 2016)

 

Previous related news: 

New analysis on Lebanese labor market: the problem of unemployment is structural

Chaos in the labor market in the absence of planning, and career orientation

Unemployment deep-rooted in the economy while counter measures piecemeal and superficial

 

Last week, the Lebanese-American Chamber announced that it will be organizing a study tour to the US headlined “Silicon Valley Campaign for Lebanon’s Start-Ups”.  The said tour is taking place between September 12th and 17th in collaboration with Start-Up Megaphone.  It includes field visits to the most important international US companies namely Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google (c.f. previous news : http://bit.ly/2ctvmfw).  In an interview with Al- Diyar newspaper, the president of the Lebanese-American Chamber Salim Zeeni noted that the Chamber has succeeded in laying Lebanese foundation in the international capital of business and finance, New York, and that is for some years now.  Now, the Chamber is trying to penetrate the capital of ICT through Silicon Valley where it hopes to have a pied-à-terre especially that the Lebanese have high capabilities in this field.  Zeeni added by saying that the indicator for this is the fact that the Lebanese have set up knowledge companies following the Central Bank decision # 331 and which is a first step that will build for excellent initiatives in the start-ups sector in Lebanon.  To be noted that the Lebanese Central Bank had issued memorandum 331 on December 2013 which allows banks and financial institutions to invest up to 3% of their own funds in start-ups and business incubators in the field of ICT, as part of its aim to boost economic growth and curtail unemployment. (Al Diyar 11 September 2016)

 

As reactions to MP Maruni’s anti-women statements continue (c.f. http://bit.ly/2cgeeKw), Women in Front group sent last Monday a letter to the President of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, demanding the resignation of MP Maruni.  The letter said: “While we were expecting an unequivocal apology from MP Maruni and a statement from the Phalangist Party condemning the incident, the response was quite the contrary”.  MP Maruni further threw accusations at the organizing women groups and continued to politicize the event in an attempt to mask the issue and marginalise the struggles of women in Lebanon”.  Women in Front also expressed its concern since “Maruni is not only a party member but also a representative in Parliament which bettors him with legislatives power related to the protection of all citizens, notably women”.  The organization concluded by calling for immediate measures to be taken by the Party given the severity of the incident in addition to issuing a formal statement to confirm that Maruni’s position is not harmonious with his party’s. To be noted that until now, the Kataeb has yet to issue a formal statement condemning the incident.  It has thus far discussed the controversy in its weekly political meeting on Tuesday where it has reiterated the position of the Party in support of full citizenship between women and men at the legislative, political and social level and has also reiterated the need for abolishing clause 522 of the penal code. (L’Orient le Jour 15 September,2016)

 

With the grapes harvesting season approaching, Chateau Kefraya winery opened its vineyards for people to partake in the harvesting activity which is normally done by Syrian women.  The activity now known as the “morning of grapes harvest” started on August 8th and will continue throughout September 17th with the participation of a team of ten visitors.  The visitors are expected to come at 7:30 am each morning to enjoy the scenery as well as the work.  In addition to the harvest, the programme entails a breakfast at 9:00 and a visit to the vineyards and wine caves. (L’Orient le Jour 15 September 2016

 

A meeting was held between the Minister of Labor, Sejaan Azzi, and a delegation representing various factions of the economic sector namely the president of the association of Beirut merchants, Nicolas Shammas.  The meeting focused on the massive lay outs of employees as well as the root causes of this problem.  Azzi warned about the increasing trend of mass lay outs which reached in Beirut 2181 employees and that is only between January and the end of July, according to figures of the Ministry of Labor.  He considered that this is the result of the economic, social and political crisis facing the country, adding that there are “companies which are paying half salaries while others do mass lay offs without compensation and others delay lay offs”.  In conclusion, Azzi noted that “the Ministry of Labor will work together with economic institutions and trade unions and will act as a watchdog and will also try within the parameters of its mandate and capacity to ensure the resilience of economic institutions so that there are jobs available as well as an ability to pay compensations and incentives to workers to enable them to overcome this difficult period”. Shammas noted for his part that the statistics released by the Ministry are quite high.  He attributed this to the economic decline currently facing Lebanon.  Shammas further reiterated the commitment of employers to secure the entitlements of the state, suppliers, banks and employees.  He added that lay offs is their last recourse.  Shammas concluded that” employers are keen on their employees but some companies are rather opportunists as they tend to replace Lebanese employees by foreigners.”  This Shammas considered as being unacceptable while describing this trend as “poisoning the Lebanese economy”. (Al Mustaqbal – Al-Diyar – Daily Star – September 10, 2016)

 

Phalangist MP, Elie Maruni stated in a public event that “in some places, we need to ask about the role of women in instigating men to rape them”.  Maruni was speaking during a meeting organized by the Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises which was convened last Wednesday to discuss article 522 of the penal code which exonerates rapists from legal pursuit in case they marry their victim.  During that same event, Maruni also expressed his refusal of the right of women to transmit their nationality using the usual excuse of preserving demographic balance.  Maruni’s statement stirred wide condemnations.  Activist and RDFL member Hayat Mirshad answered Maruni directly stating that “as a Lebanese citizen, I am ashamed of having MPs who think  this way while representing the Lebanese in Parliament”.  RDFL addressed a letter last Friday to MP and President of the Phalangist Party condemning Marouni’s statements.  In addition, a number of activists launched an electronic petition (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqefNeT7ngDPVkiFXdq6xXlJbg1SGQrH120vp2YMHDw/mobilebasic) demanding that Maruni apologises to Lebanese women especially those who had suffered from physical, sexual and moral violence.  Maruni for his part regretted in a press conference convened last Saturday if his “statement upset some people” but nevertheless went on to defend his statement.  Prior to his press statement, Maruni had gone all out to accuse RDFL of being a “suspect organization” with a specific political agenda to target him before the next parliamentary elections.  Maruni added that his words were taken out of context and that he reserves his right to take legal action against RDFL and whoever is behind her. (Al Akhbar, Al- Diyar, and An-Nahar , 10 &12 September 2016)

 

Once again the suffering of MWDWs in Lebanon is treaded superficially in the daily news as if a casual incident.  An Nahar issue of last Saturday briefly reported that cleaning workers, while moving an unusually heavy waste container, were surprised to discover inside it, a young Ethiopian woman aged 30.  The woman did not carry any ID and was hardly living.  The workers alerted the authorities and the young woman was subsequently moved to a hospital for treatment and investigations started in order to uncover the circumstances of this matter. (An Nahar, September 12, 2016)

 

In an attempt to readdress the declining economic conditions in the northern capital, the economic and civil groups in Tripoli and the North have carried out a number of initiatives and activities to this effect. On the subject, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Tripoli and the North, Tufic Dabbussi, revealed the setting-up of an investment firm which is currently scoping and studying the conditions of the public facilities in the area. Some 32 economic figures from all over Lebanon, Dabbussi said, are contributing in the search for new and success bound investment opportunities that could create jobs for the young generation and generate profits and accelerate the economic cycle. Meanwhile, Dabbussi is following up the alignment of all details of an operable groundwork for implementing the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) program for development of the workforce skills and enhancing the products of the furniture sector in Tripoli and North Lebanon. In the same vein, and in collaboration with the European Union, the municipality of Tripoli organized a workshop entitled ‘promoting local development and governance in the localities of Tabbaneh, Jabal Mohsen and Al Goraba2. The purpose of the workshop is to review ‘improving local development and governance of the municipality of Tripoli’ project aimed at enhancing the health services provided by the existing health care centers and targeting mainly women, children and senior citizens of the above three localities. Similarly, the municipality of Ehden-Zghorta organized a training session for a number of Ehden hotels in collaboration with the Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon. This comes as part of the preparation and development of entrepreneurs and the creation of small and medium enterprises program implemented by UNIDO. The workshop was held on 6th and 7th of September and covered sessions focusing on hospitality management, marketing and sales techniques and human resources management. (Al Diyar, September 3 and 9, 2016)

My Nationality is A Right for Me and My Family Campaign staged a sit-in yesterday in front of the ministry of education in Beirut to protest last July’s directive by education minister Abu Saab confining registration of High school students to Lebanese citizens only and demanded an equal treatment of the children of Lebanese women with Lebanese students. Karima Shebbo, speaking on behalf of the campaign, pointed out that the latter has received a number of complaints from Lebanese women married to non-Lebanese stating that their children, as per the minister’s order, have been refused at public schools. Shebbo said this started back in 2014 when the campaign sent an urgent letter to the education minister prompting him to issue a decision exempting children of Lebanese women married to foreigners from the earlier discriminatory directive. In 2015, Shebbo explained, when the problem resurfaced, schools were forced to accept this category of children under the pressure of negotiations. Shebbo pressed the need for drafting a legislation that is more tolerant in observing the basic rights to education and health for example. She urged minister Abu Saab to act quickly in order to save the educational future of those students that have been ill-treated by previous unfair decisions, reminding him of the rights of all to education in line with international human rights agreements and conventions. For her part, Iqbal Dughan, president of the Lebanese Women Council, considered that what is happening today is a fallout of the deprivation of Lebanese women from their rights to pass nationality to their children. “We are Lebanese citizens,” she said, “and the Constitution has guaranteed us the right to equality with our men partners,” she added, warning politicians and officials of “relentless struggle to repossess our rights to nationality.” (L’Orient Le Jour, The Daily Star, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, As Safir, An Nahar, September 9, 2016)