CAROLINE BAZZI

Beirut- Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) held an online meeting on January 12 in cooperation with the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon to discuss gender-based violence. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist Joulia Bou Karroum made a speech at the meeting and said, “Violence is an act to annihilate or exclude the other. This is what we witness in conflicts and wars.”

Stating that the Lebanese society consists of fighting groups having different goals, Joulia Bou Karroum said, “One of their goals is to annihilate the other. Therefore women and other marginalized groups are the weakest elements in this fight. They are subjected to economic, social, and cultural violence every day. When human rights organizations demand women’s participation in decision-making processes, they claim that we cannot enact laws if there isn’t such a category in the decision-making mechanism. Women’s participation is necessary to correct this process and legislation, and to stop the violence that inevitably affects marginalized groups.”

“Violence threatens our existence as citizens”

Speaking about the physical, social, psychological, and economic violence against women, Joulia Bou Karroum said,” Violence threatens our existence as citizens. The laws protecting women from domestic violence and abuse are responsible for ensuring gender equality. The amendment of two laws was passed by the parliament after the women’s organizations and institutions demanded them for a long time. The amendment of the two laws is an important step because the Lebanese state hasn’t implemented the obligations of the international conventions such as CEDAW even if it signed them.”

Women don't have their economic independence

Hind Hamdan, Gender and Socio-economic Development Specialist, drew attention to the policy of immunity in her speech and said, “After the civil war, we built the country on violence.” Stating that women’s participation in the economy is very low, she said, “Since the Covid-19 outbreak, many companies have been closed down and women have been fired. As women lose their economic independence, men think they can do everything they want. 80% of people live in poverty but the percentage of women is higher. Women should be empowered economically to reduce gender-based violence.”