I have the honor to be leading an advocacy Campaign “نون القانون” initiated by group of young girls, managed by https://familyrightsforum.org/. The advocacy campaign was launched within the project “She leads” that is coordinated between Terre des Hommes and Family Rights Forum in which Adolescent girls and young women in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and South Lebanon, supported by wider communities including boys, men, caregivers and influential figures (local leaders, religious leaders and educators), promote and advocate for positive gender norms and practices by 2025.
The campaign focuses on assessing the content and application of relevant Lebanese laws, particularly Law No. 293/2014 on domestic violence in conjunction with the Criminal Code, in light of the guarantees provided in the legal framework, the structural and practical obstacles related to their enforcement and the administration of justice. The campaign also analyzed the compatibility of the above-mentioned national framework in light with the international standards and conventions ratified by Lebanon such as CEDAW. It also briefly addresses economic, social and cultural barriers mentioned above which undermine women’s ability and/or willingness to seek justice.
In view of the multi-layered crisis facing the country in 2020, we scaled up within the “She Leads” project in raising awareness of young girls on the women’s and girls’ rights and worked on increasing acceptance of positive social gender norms”.
We Conduct this advocacy campaign to reject violence, discrimination, and stereotypes against women, and ensure that where law enforcement and justice officers fail to ensure an effective investigation into an incident of GBV, through negligence or by intimidating or otherwise trying to persuade the victim not to pursue the matter, their omissions and actions be actionable as a breach of their duties, including where justified by imposing appropriate disciplinary measures
We aimed to
- Equip young women to be strong advocates for upholding human rights
- Enhance women’s knowledge of their rights and related legal issues, concepts such as gender and equality
- Disseminate information on combating domestic violence in light of Law No. 293/2014 and international human rights standards and instruments.
- Address all discriminatory practices, stereotypes and bias against women.
The title of the campaign is “Noun Al-Qanun” – means Noun Al-Nisa (women) is the beginning and Noun Al-Aman (security) is the goal.
The initiative commenced with three formal speeches.
- Mrs. Nadine Hamade : project manager for SHe leads
- Dr. Khouloud AlKhatib trainer and Female leader
- Mr. Nader Gaspard: the president of Law Bar association
The initiative was attended by 80-100 persons including presence of the President of the Bar, Mr. Nader Gaspard , Public prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Nazik Al-Khatib, members of the Bar Council, the head of the Women’s Affairs Committee, Ms. Asma Dagher, members of the cases Women’s Affairs Committee, associations, and a number of lawyers and law students.
The initiative transformed women’s narratives into human rights issues that protect women, girls and children, raised public awareness, and pushed for amending laws.
The campaign culminated in a mock trial, which we embodied from the reality of women’s lives. The campaign revolved around the life of a hypothetical character, Hayat, who faced repeated and varied cases of physical, psychological, economic and sexual violence for years, “to stay by her son’s side” until she decided to obtain a protection order.
In the trial, the young girls used various international protection tools and national legal texts, and indicated all the stages that raise awareness on judicial processes, until the final judgment was issued to confirm the absence of impunity.
The trial ended with a comment from the General prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Nazik Al-Khatib, that the international protection tools included in this trial are an important necessity for every lawyer and every judge must know in order to be able to benefit from international tools, and that this trial has written various concepts that go beyond the legal text.
The trial spread a message, “against all forms of domestic violence, and called for joint effort to achieve equality and ensure justice”.
- Every lawyer needs to realize his/her role in using the international mechanisms complementing the national mechanisms.
- Every judge should use his ability to develop the concept of the legal text and expand the interpretation of the concept of violence in accordance with international instruments,
- All young girls and women have the right to activate innovation spaces to defend the right and stand up to violence wherever it comes from.
