MARINA ANDAS

Beirut- Women and girls pay a heavy price during humanitarian crises and economic crises. Women feel the economic crisis that Lebanon has been suffering more acutely than men do. The economic crisis in Lebanon may be one of the three worst economic crises in the world in the last 150 years, according to the World Bank.

 ‘Women are treated like second-class citizens’

“The ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon has affected the conditions of all citizens, specifically working and non-working women,” said Mary Nassif Al-Debs, member of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) in Lebanon.

“Women are treated like second-class citizens’

Lebanon has 15 separate personal status laws for its recognized religions but no civil code covering issues such as divorce, property rights, or care of children. “Due to the lack of a civil code, women are treated like second-class citizens,” she said. “There is an increase in the rates of femicide, gender-based violence and high unemployment rate among women. About two years ago, the United Nations reported that women in Lebanon were twice as likely as men to be unemployed. Working women began to be underpaid when Lebanon currency lost its value and they cannot meet the basic needs of their families.”

 ‘Gender-based discrimination must end’

Article 50 of Lebanon Labor Law does not protect women and their rights, Mary Nassif Al-Debs said, “About 40 years ago, fundamental changes occurred in the status of women. Women began to be educated and receive certificates; however, women's labor force participation rate is still low because the personal status laws stipulate a traditional division of roles within the family, placing the husband at its head and the main pillar of the family. Therefore, we must first eliminate the patriarchal society so that we can achieve equality and parity in all facets of life. Gender-based discrimination must end in Lebanon.”

In her speech, Mary Nassif Al-Debs called for a unified civil code that guarantees equality and equal wages for equal work.

On October 7, 2019, Lebanon witnessed a series of civil protests after the Lebanese cabinet announced financial measures. “During the 17 October Revolution, women took to the streets to demand their rights and a unified civil code and to protest violence against women. However, the Covid-19 outbreak deteriorated their living conditions. During that period, domestic violence against women increased and women paid the heaviest burden of the economic crisis.”

‘Those days were the worst days for me’

Engineer Lynn Touma is a Lebanese woman facing the worst days of her life during the Covid-19 outbreak. She said, “I was working at a company; however, the manager fired all women due to deteriorating economic conditions. He did not fire male employees because they were the breadwinners for their families. Those days were the worst days for me.”