News

The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) called for the enactment of a new electoral law that will guarantee a women’s quota in Parliament by not less than 30% of total seats. NCLW, during a meeting of its executive board, urged women and civil society organizations to intensify their common efforts in order to push for the desired electoral law. The meeting also emphasized the important role that women play in challenging physical and non-physical violence, marginalization, infringements of their rights, and exclusion from public life and decision making processes. (Al Mustaqbal, 4 April 2015)

One year after the passing of the VAW law, KAFA launched a legal handbook entitled: ‘challenges of enactment of Law 293’, which summarizes debates with a large number of judges who pronounced during 2014 a series of women protection related legal decisions (Relate to the news on 1st of April, 2015). The guide, which outlines the effective mechanism to apply the law, is part of a UNFPA-supported project, was launched during a seminar at the Beirut Bar Association headquarters in Beirut, held in cooperation with the BBA family unit. The event was sponsored by BBA President, George Jreij, and was attended by a number of judges as well as representatives of civil society organizations and the Internal Security Forces. The Interim Relief Judge in Beirut, Jad Maaluf, and Appellate Lawyer assigned to look into domestic violence complaints in the capital, Judge Maya Kanaan, shared their experiences regarding the implementation of the VAW law. Kanaan stressed the importance of respecting the freedom of the plaintiff party to choose their expert reference for protection, pointing to challenges and gaps. For her part, KAFA representative, Lawyer Leila Awada outlined the objectives of the handbook and gave a synopsis of its basic features. Besides, a short film entitled ‘by the law’ was shown.  The film is based on true stories of women who were subjected to violence and resorted to law. (Al Mustaqbal, 2 April 2015)

An eco-recreational park was inaugurated in Bentael natural reserve in Jbail within the framework of ‘Building Alliance for Local Advancement, Development and Investment (BALADI) program funded by US Agency for International Development and implemented by Rene Moawwad Foundation (RMF). The event took place in the presence of USAID Deputy Assistant, Mona Yacubian, USAID Mission Director, Carolyn Bryan, Former Minister and RMF President Nayla Moawwad, representative of the Head of the Office of Common Administration at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, Racha Hurani and representatives of Edde Municipality. USAID contributed $159,000 to establish the resort which houses a library, a cultural museum and a showroom for local products and handicrafts. The park also includes installations accessible for people with disabilities and is open annually from April to October. (Al Mustaqbal, 2 April 2015)

A delegation of the Business and Professional Women – Beirut, took part in the sixty third conference of the Global Forum for Business Women in Bahrain. The event organized under the slogan: ‘our bridges to the world’, was held under the patronage of Princess Sabika Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of Bahrain King, and hosted delegations from 54 countries, including Lebanon. The Lebanese delegation which comprised 20 professional and business women from all sectors and specialties was unprecedented and represented a significant participation in such an international platform. (Al Diyar, 1 April 2015)

Since the passing on March 27th 2014 of the Law on the protection of women and family against domestic violence, the Judiciary has pronounced some 48 decisions out of 54 cases in favor of women who filed legal cases against their spouse for domestic violence, according to Leila Awada, the Head of the Legal Unit in the women right organization, KAFA. To this effect, attorney Nizar Sagiyyeh presented his interpretation of the recent judiciary record is dealing with implementation of the said law. He pointed out that some judges have adopted an open interpretation of the definition and criminalization of violent acts against women, whereby they did not restrict themselves only to cases directly stipulated by the Law. As such, recent cases included non-physical acts against the rights of women which are normally condoned by tradition and practice, like for example, preventing a woman from leaving the house or confiscating her identification documents or private property and using children as a mean for blackmailing. Sagiyyeh praised the attitude of judges who have created breakthroughs in protection measures. In fact these judges in their legal practices are no longer limiting the protection of minor children of the battered mother to the provisions of joint custody; instead they are now arguing that the child of a battered mother and a witness to his father’s brutal treatment of his wife, is also exposed to danger and therefore should be protected even if the request for protection did not include him. Sagiyyeh noted the significance and impact of civil society action and general public discourse in raising awareness among the Judiciary and consequently paving the way for developing laws, notwithstanding the political will. The development of laws, as he put it, is the result of an interactive relation between civil society, human rights groups and judges. In this respect, Awada noted that some judges tend now to expand protection measures pending a final legal decision on the fate of the matrimony relationships. For example, she explained, a Shia woman who normally will not get a divorce without the approval of her spouse was issued an indefinite protection decision made by Judge Hassan Hamdan in the case of a battered woman. With the enactment of the new law, the need to create protection shelters has become less urgent. Because of the new law women can now continue to live in their homes while forcing the violent husband to vacate it and to pay his wife an allowance. The issuing of the VAW law also encouraged battered women to seek help. Kafa data indicated that some 542 women have turned to the association for support since March of last year. (As Safir, 1 April 2015)

Minister of Industry, Hussein Haj Hassan noted that Lebanon needs to create between 35,000 and 40,000 jobs annually to contain the influx of workforce in the labor market. Speaking to L’Orient Le Jour newspaper on March 21, Haj Hassan said “aside from migration which absorbs a considerable part the labor force, we still have to generate some 15 thousand employment opportunities per year.” Furthermore, he indicated that while services constitute the pillars of the Lebanese economy, those sectors has reached a saturation point, namely with the reported rise of unemployment to 30%. He added that agriculture and industry can provide good prospects for job creation. “There are currently 40 thousand workers in these two sectors,” he said while revealing that he intends to increase the contribution of industry to GDP from 11 to 18% over the next 3 to 4 years. Haj Hassan noted that the industry sector suffers from high costs of production linked to high energy and real estate prices. On reforms planned by his Ministry, Haj Hassan indicated that work is underway on the adoption of new income taxation that will provide exemptions on agricultural and industrial export sales. This decision he said will be followed by another legal action to support those loans aimed at financing the procurement of raw material. He added that his Ministry is presently working on the construction of three industrial zones of a total area of 1000 acres, that will be leased to entrepreneurs at price rates 60 to 70% less than market values, and which will be completed in two to three years. (L’Orient Le Jour, 21 March 2015)

The traditional straw weaving craft is currently at risk of dying out in the village of Baysoor, Mount Lebanon. Being mainly a woman’s activity, local craftswomen are currently striving to revive it. One craftswoman, Ibtissam Malaeb, explained to Al Diyar newspaper that she “uses wheat straw because it is more resilient and resists damage.” She pointed to some 100-year-old utensils that are still in very good condition, she boasted. “We make kitchenware and utensils as well as decorative items,” she said. Voicing her concern over the fate of this endangered craft, Malaeb appealed to Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs to save this centuries-old tradition from extinction by giving crafters and manufacturers the right incentives and motivation. “Workers in the domain need the straws of wheat the least to continue in business,” she said. “There are many women out there who have stopped working for many reasons, mainly financial, adding that presently there are only 12 Baysoor women active in this industry”: Malaeb added. For his part, President of Green Hand association, Engineer Zaher Radwan told Al Diyar that the his association is presently setting up a syndicate for traditional artisans and manufacturers in an attempt to regulate, develop the sector and create new job opportunities. (Al Diyar, 29 March 2015)

Tourism Minister Michel Faroun launched in a press conference yesterday a project ‘Bike Du Liban’. Present were, Director General of the Social Welfare Institutions and Dar Al Aytam Al Islamiya, Beirut, former minister, Khaled Kabbani, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Nada Sarduk, Director General of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Ziad Khayami, Central Bank Executive Director, Marian Hwayek, Bike Du Liban Honorary President, Gaby Tamer and members of Beirut City Council as well as a number of social, environmental, cultural and sports officials. Speaking about the project, Tamer reiterated the important role of civil society in protecting the environment and expressed hope that the use of bicycles will expand so that “we can watch ministers and MPs riding bikes to their offices as is the case in Europe and the United States”; said Tamer. Kabbani described the event as a national initiative that engages all the Lebanese regions and provides a space for the Lebanese from across the country to unite. For his part, Khayami cited the positive outcomes of the project which will contribute to protecting the environment, creates a solution for the traffic problem and presents an all-encompassing sports culture for all sects of society. Speaking on behalf of the Bank of Lebanon, Marian Hwayek announced the Bank’s full support to the event as part of its social responsibility and as a contribution from this public sector institution to civil society activities. (Al Diyar, 30 March 2015)

Baz3un farmers and Bsharri mayor Hanna Faddul appealed to authorities concerned for assistance in the wake of the wrecking winter storms that devastated their agriculture lands in Al Hita highlands of Bazoun. The storm reportedly uprooted more then 1500 fruit-bearing trees and a number of old forest trees. Furthermore, it destroyed the reinforced earth walls and devastated irrigation canals. Faddul explained that every year farmers have to endure the effects of storms and bad harvests while falling into financial debts as a result of high production costs. Furthermore, he complained, that while farmers are normally not succeeding in selling their harvests, the storm of this winter destroyed all remaining hopes. Faddul urged the Higher Relief Committee to visit the town and to assess the damages. (Al Diyar, 31 March 2015)

Safadi Foundation organized a series of training workshops for the second grouping of women from all over Akkar, who benefited from the EU-funded project aiming at exploiting local resources for the development of rural economy in Akkar. The project is part of the ‘Ideas- 3” program which funded by the European Union and managed by the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Development Affairs (OMSAR), in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, AIDA. The training sessions which took place at Safadi Center for Agricultural Development-Akkar, were led by Lebanese University professor, Agronomist, Dr. Jihad Noon, who is an expert on the growing of Thyme and aromatic herbs, and with the participation of some 40 women and their families. The course covered different stages of thyme ‘Zaatar’ cultivation, mainly, soil preparation, planting, irrigation, harvest and marketing of the produce. The Project’s Agriculture Engineer, Emile Al Asmar, underlined the significance of the said project for Akkar region at both the economic and development levels. He also urged women participants to complete all related training sessions, and to look after their crops in order to generate income for their households. (Al Diyar, 30 March 2015)