LEBANON: Law to Stop Violence Against Women Takes Time

By Mona Alami
BEIRUT, Jun 16 (IPS) There was some good news for women’s activists
in Lebanon last week.

The government met to discuss a new law criminalising spousal abuse – a
giant step forward in a campaign by women’s groups for equal rights.

For the past few weeks, TV channels have been telecasting two powerful
public information advertisements on domestic violence. The first shows a
man bullying his wife, while the second features a father brutalising his
daughter.

The ads are part of a nationwide campaign launched by Kafa – from the
Arabic word for ‘enough’ – to stop violence against women.

When it comes to women’s rights, Lebanon has antiquated laws. For
example,
Lebanese women are not allowed to pass on their nationality to their
spouses
and children. So-called ‘honour’ crimes still prevail in rural
areas, particularly
Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa, according to a book by Azza Charara
Beydoun, ‘Crimes Against Women in the Lebanese Judiciary’.

"Today, one of the main problems women are confronted with is the
nature of
the Lebanese legislative system itself," says lawyer Leyla Awada from
Kafa.
Laws in Lebanon, which are based on an individual’s religious
affiliation, are
usually less favourable to women.

Abused women can either seek justice from religious courts – these vary
from
one community to another and depend on the person’s sect – or penal
courts.

In case of the latter, a victim can file an official complaint, but this
is
generally addressed to officers who are not trained for the task or who
don’t
take spousal abuse claims seriously. In addition, since most women are
financially dependent on their husbands, they don’t have the means
to pay
the legal costs incurred in a civil court.

Kafa has been involved with three kinds of abuse: spousal, pedophilia and
trafficking. "Our main concern is to prevent family abuse,"
explains Awada.
There are only a few shelters for victims of abuse in Lebanon. Worse, they
do
not take in women with children.

Raya, a fashionable, young woman in her twenties who wanted to be
identified by only one name, is a company executive. Born in an upper
class
but conservative family, she has a BA from the American university of
Beirut
and is fluent in both English and Arabic.

Attractive and well to do, she seems modern and successful like many
Lebanese women. But she has been a victim of domestic violence.

"My father was an extremely violent man," Raya recalls. "He
had bouts of
depression and anxiety, accompanied by violent behaviour, which was
directly
usually at either my mother or my sisters and me."

She says he once broke a vase on her sister’s head, causing a
massive head
injury. "He suspected her of having a boyfriend, which was not
true," she
adds.

To help women in distress, Kafa has established a 24-hour helpline to
offer
advice and psychological and legal counseling.

"Most women who come to us are usually victims of spousal abuse. This
might be attributed to the fact that Lebanese avoid reporting abuse from a
father or brother unless rape is involved," says Kafa lawyer Awada.

Kafa took the initiative to set up a committee comprising lawyers, judges
and
police officers who drafted the new law, and submitted it to Lebanese
Prime
Minister Fouad Siniora eight months ago.

Following the legal process, the prime minister sent the bill to the
interior
and social affairs ministries before it was handed over to the government
on
Jun. 2.

"We were very surprised to discover in the papers that ministers
Mohamad
Fneish and Brahim Chamsedine had vetoed the draft law before resubmitting
it for further study to a committee of ministers who had already been
extensively briefed on the subject," observes Awada.

Chamsedine, who was interviewed over the phone by IPS, said the draft law
had to be fine-tuned further before it conforms to Lebanon’s
religious
framework. Muslims are in the majority in Lebanon. Christians and other
minorities constitute about 40 percent of the population.

"I assure you that I am keen on protecting the interests of Lebanese
women,"
the minister added. "This procedure is quite normal and draft laws
resubmitted for study require a period of a maximum of six weeks. I would
say that since Tuesday (Jun. 9), about 50 percent of the work has been
completed and I will be meeting with Kafa this week."