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As usual in Lebanon, the news of suicide incidents of two women migrant workers are treated in the local media lightly and briefly within the category of miscellaneous security news. For after that our website posted the cases of three suicide attempts during this year, local channels aired in less than one week news of 3 new cases of suicide and torture of migrant women domestic workers. The first news went like this: An Ethiopian MWDW was found hanging from a tree with a woolen scarf in the West Beqaa town of Mashghara. The second news which was mentioned in a number of websites, briefly referred to the case of an Ethiopian MWDW who threw herself from the 15th floor at her employer’s home in East Beirut suburb of Jdeideh. Furthermore, electronic portals posted the news of the burning to death of a Kenyan mother of two MWDW, Mari Kabuna Kamango, at her employer’s residence. Mari reportedly died after being transferred to Kenya last July. On this, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation LBCI stated that after investigating on the subject and confirmation by the Lebanese Consul to the African state, that the last incident has occurred in Jordan and not in Lebanon. (Al Diyar, August 4, 2016)

 

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Ethiopian MWDW slain in Jarju3, Nabatieh

Yet another suicide attempt by an Ethiopian woman domestic worker in Tripoli

A migrant woman worker assassinated in Beirut for “personal reasons”!

 

In collaboration with the Syndicate of Owners of Hotels in Lebanon, the municipality of Bshareh organized yesterday and for the first time a training session for owners and employees of hostels in Bshareh and Al Arz in the North. The 2-day workshop, managed by TIME Less ltd company, came as part of the Promotion and Development of Entrepreneurs and Creation of Small and Medium Enterprises Program implemented by UNIDO in cooperation with and the Arab Regional Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment Training (ARCEIT). The course centered mainly on the development of hospitality skills within the framework of applied topics in public administration of the hotelier industry, with special emphasis on customer services and enhancement of the level of services. Time Less director, Hala Muradi, spoke in the first day of the events about techniques of improving sales and ways of dealing with customers over the phone, as they usually are the pass for interacting with them. Muradi then demonstrated methods of handling complaints and turning them into solutions. (Al Diyar, August 4, 2016)

 

Following data issued by Weekly Bulletin of "Byblos Bank" that indicated a rise in the trade deficit to $7.57 billion during the first half of this year, attributing this rise to the increase in imports bill by about $612 million, which reached $9.39 billion and the fall in exports by $234 million to $1.82 billion, the president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, Fadi Gemayel, confirmed yesterday the cumulative decline in exports by nearly 30% (equivalent to USD one billion). Gemayel also pointed out to new complications in exporting to Syria due to new Syrian procedures in handling made-in-Lebanon goods which now require a prior license. Lebanese. And while admitting the importance of the Syrian markets to Lebanese industrialists, Gemayel said he hoped the “standoff needs to be resolved in the framework of cooperation and integration” between the two countries. “We do not want to flood the Syrian markets with Lebanese merchandise, yet, we do not like to see the Syrian goods swamping our markets”. It is to be noted that Agriculture Minister, Akram Shehayeb, issued on 9th of June a decree banning the import of vegetables and fruits from Syria until next February, in order to protect local productions and markets (c.f.  http://bit.ly/2aBemBE). (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, August 3, 2016)

 

Clearly the marketing of local production has become a big burden on the Lebanese farmers. On this subject, Al Mustaqbal newspaper highlighted the role of the fig season in the villages of Arqoob, namely in Kfarhamam, Halta, Mari, Habariyeh and Rashayya al Fukhar. With the start of the season around mid-July, the paper wrote, every household is packed with fresh or dried figs or fig jam, preserves and varius delicacies, and for this reason people celebrate what they call the “fig ritual” around that period of the year. Al Mustaqbal spoke with Imm Karam Atiyeh, who, while boastful of her land’s generous supplies of figs and which she tends to dry, lamented the low selling prices of the product. “Enough is enough,” she grieved, “maybe it is the trouble of exporting that makes things worse.” Another farmer, Abdel Hamid, told the newspaper’s reporter that a large community of the towns and villages of Arqoob rely on proceeds from their fig production. But, he stated, “they need the support of the concerned agricultural authorities in the development of their cultivation techniques and the creation of new outlets to market their produce.” On the other hand, Abu Ahmad, optimistic as he seemed, pointed out that fig farming is revived every year, especially with the reasonable prices and acceptable domestic consumption. “One kilogram of fresh figs varies from LBP 2 thousand to 3 thousand.” Most farmers, he added, prefer to dry the figs and sell them as a dried product. One pound, he said, “is normally sold at LBP 30 thousand, and besides, the dried figs can last from year to year and can be used in the making of preserves and jams. Either way, it remains profitable.” (Al Mustaqbal, August 3, 2016)

 

Previous related news: 

 

Potato growers in Central Beqaa, Rashayya demand new external markets

http://www.weeportal-lb.org/news/potato-growers-central-beqaa-rashayya-demand-new-external-markets

 

Beekeeping in Dennyeh on the decline amidst official neglect

http://www.weeportal-lb.org/news/beekeeping-dennyeh-decline-amidst-official-neglect

 

A rescue plan for apple growing comprising the setting up of a disaster solidarity fund

http://www.weeportal-lb.org/news/rescue-plan-apple-growing-comprising-setting-disaster-solidarity-fund

 

In its edition of today, An Nahar newspaper emphasized the growing involvement of women in the legal practice, pointing to an ascending trend to this effect. Against some 527 interning lawyers, some 632 were female lawyers (that is 54.5% against 45.4% males). The Courts Law Attorney, Nader Kaspar, attributed the above increase to the inherent disposition of young women lawyers who normally “boast a greater potential to learn, memorize and research as compared to their male peers.” Yet, the percentage shown in the general roster of lawyers is still below parity, Kaspar clarified. Nevertheless the level has now exceeded one third, with the total number of registered lawyers reaching 8044 lawyers, (5031 men against 3013 women, that is by 37.4% of those registered in the general listing), Kaspar maintained. He considered the said proportion as healthy for a country like Lebanon, given family and social responsibilities incumbent on married women. The married woman lawyer, Kaspar explained, is “not in a position to accomplish on par with young men lawyers during the first ten years of her professional career, for she has to attend to her married and family life, or choose to work in her free time,” as he puts it. A big number of married women lawyers usually resume their practice after their children become adults, and subsequently, they have all the time to make up for what they passed up particularly on laws and related topics. In conclusion, while considering that the criminal jurisdiction requires dedication and time, Kaspar pointed out that women lawyers in general take up files of civil nature. (An Nahar, August 3, 2016)

 

Following the recent news posted on our portal concerning the internal elections of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) last July 30th based on the names published in As Safir edition of June 27, ( http://bit.ly/2aQhMoG), the results of the first phase of elections seem not very promising in terms of women representation. In this respect, only 3 women out of 58 candidates won (i.e. 5%), and these are: Nadine Tohmeh (for Baabda), Rindala Jabbur (West Beqaa) who won by acclamation, and Katia Kiwan (Shuf). Following the first phase, the names of the successful candidates will be screened through a public survey. The survey is expected to help in measuring the popularity and eligibility of every potential nominee in his/her electoral constituency, leading to the exclusion of the surplus candidates, after considering the number of seats in each electoral circumscription. 

(As Safir, August 3, 2016)

 

Under the slogan, ‘Towards building a Palestinian democratic women movement’ and in the presence of Palestinian, Lebanese and regional women groups, the Palestinian Democratic Women’s Organization (Nada), opened yesterday its 12th regional conference at Mar Elias Refugee Camp in Beirut. During the event, the head of the general council in the organization, Khalidat Hussein, announced the launching of the national and feminist action plan program in preparation for a Palestinian democratic women movement in Lebanon. Hussein clarified that the said program is based on two axis: The first is national bound, with focus on promoting the participation of Palestinian women in Lebanon; the second is feminist related, and centers on protecting Palestinian women against inherited socio-cultural discrimination which is fueled by growing Islamist extremism in the region. The above project calls for stepping up efforts of Palestinian women in order to eradicate all forms of discrimination as stipulated by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other related agreements based on the principle of gender equality and protection of women against human rights violations. Hussein also stressed the significance of Resolution No 1325 which exposes the atrocious practices of the Israeli Occupation against Palestinian women, and supports the political participation of Palestinian women through lobbying for the 30% representation quota, particularly in political leadership and in various professional associations. (Al Diyar, August 2, 2016)

 

In its edition of July 30, Al Akhbar daily unmasked the grief of Bayt Faks beekeepers, a town famed for honey production throughout the North and Lebanon. Situated in the caza of Dennyeh, the village of Bayt Faks used to produce not less than 40 tons of honey every year, but has since two years seen a decline by 80% thus threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of local households. For more insight on the subject, Al Akhbar spoke to Hussein Awada, deputy secretary general of the Arab Beekeepers Union, and former president of the Cooperative of Bayt Faks Beekeepers. Awada mentioned a number of factors, notably the following: climate change; human-induced contraction of flower and tree landscapes required for their nectar in attracting pollinating bees; the death of a large number of queen bees in Dennyeh and other areas across the country due to frost storms; use of mostly counterfeit or fake pesticides to control bee diseases; border closure and finally, fall in exports. Awada also noted that the waning production has not positively impacted the price of honey, where it remained unchanged, (USD 20-30). The reason, he said, is mainly because domestic production normally exceeds local consumption needs. Criticizing the government represented by the agriculture ministry, Awada said it repeatedly failed in backing the sector or in compensating beekeepers for accruing losses. Most of Bayt Faks inhabitants, he maintained, depend on beekeeping and therefore on the production and trading in honey or on jobs supported  by the industry. (Al Akhbar, July 30, 2016)

 

As part of the national campaign, ‘A Meeting with Nurses in Every Casa: Participate, Explore, Know’, the Lebanese Order of Nurses organized last Sunday its 12th and last gathering at the Imam Sadr Foundations in the southern port city of Tyre. The event was held under the sponsorship of the Health Ministry’s Primary Health Care Department in cooperation with the Tyre municipality. On the occasion, the head of the Order of Nurses, Nuhad Yazbek Dumit, underlined the roles accomplished by male and female nurses as, “mentors, teachers, academics, organizers, researchers and examiners working within a homogenous team and guided with effective and meaningful communication.” The director of Imam Sadr Foundation, Nijad Sharaffedin, for his part, said that with the technological and scientific advancement in all fields, including the health sector, the role of the nurse has naturally expanded from health care to education, participation in development of comprehensive health care plans and research, and coordination of the roles of health workers, patient follow-up and treatment supervisory tasks. It should be noted that the meeting created an opportunity for participants to communicate with nurses and learn about their profession through free health check-ups and awareness info about diabetes and blood pressure, as well as mother and child health in addition to leisure and educational activities for all family members. (Al Mustaqbal, August 1, 2016)

 

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Nurses of Lebanon celebrate International Day

 

Following the marketing difficulties resulting from the closure of the Syrian borders, local apple growers from all across Lebanon, held a solidarity meeting on July 29 called for by the municipality of Aqoora, Byblos. Participating in the gathering were representatives of the agriculture ministry and some 40 mayors of villages and towns that are facing production difficulties particularly as a result of this year’s blizzard storms that destroyed nearly 70% of their production. On the occasion, Aqoora mayor, Mansur Wehbeh pointed out that the once prosperous apple cultivation which is the main source of livelihood for around 300 thousand Lebanese farmers, has started to fall off 20 years back due to accumulating problems in export, manufacture and high cost. Similarly, the vice-chair of the Federation of Byblos Municipalities, Assad Hashem, outlined a 3-phase salvage plan which includes the following: On the medium term, the government will be responsible for the creation of new marketing outlets; on the short term, foreign aid and international organizations are asked to buy the apple production ant to distribute it to displaced Syrians in Lebanon and Jordan, and finally, on the long term, the founding of an association representing the private and public sectors as well as state institutions. This body, projected to include all the apple-producing municipalities, will assume the task of development and export and will, in cooperation with the ministries of social affairs and agriculture, as well as the Higher Relief Commission, start a solidarity fund to address natural disasters. For her part, Silvana Girjis from the agriculture ministry stated that her ministry has a similar insurance program against natural disasters but this is still awaiting endorsement of the Parliament. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, July 30, 2016)

 

 

Previous related news: 

Apple growers in Bsharri forced to sell their lands because of the depressed market

Apple growers complain and grieve a losing season