:: Strategy / Gender Equity ::
Achieving Gender Equality & Equity through the Rule of Law
Out of our belief that the rule of law is one of the pillars of building an equitable and fair society, one of our constant priorities has always been the amendment of the laws that discriminate against women and to promote the ratification of laws that empower women and give them the opportunity to be part of the decision making process.
The ratification and full implementation of The Conventions on the Eliminations of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) would constitute an ideal legal argument and basis for the modernization of laws. Sadly Lebanon took reservations on certain points related to the civil law when ratifying the Convention. LCW has been constantly calling for the removal of these reservations and the implementation of CEDAW in its entirety.
Objectives and Priorities
- One of our objectives is to modernize the laws in the Lebanese penal code that deal with all forms of violence against women. Many of these laws are archaic and do not correspond anymore to the Lebanese societal values.
Among these are the legislations on the violation of sexual integrity and other relevant regulations and measures. Another important set of legislation is those related to the prevention of violence against women.
- Another objective related to the modernization of laws is to amend the civil and constitutional laws that deny women their full national identities and exclude them from the rights, privileges, and security of citizenship. Under these laws women are not recognized as equal citizens. The Lebanese nationality law is the most controversial in this instance.
Plan of action
Modernizing laws is an ambitious undertaking that requires a well designed multilayered plan of action comprising separate yet complementary projects that could be implemented consecutively or in parallel. These projects need to address as well the technical part and the worries and concerns of all social and religious groups in order to reach a national consensus. The final step would be to increase and improve popular awareness and acceptance of the values of gender equality and equity.
- The formation of a special legal committee in charge of studying each of the laws that need modernization .
The committee will be constituted from the volunteer lawyers and judges member of the organization together with members of the judicial body who are willing to volunteer.
The committee will coordinate the work already covered by our member organizations and establish contact with all local and international organizations willing to contribute to the project.
The committee will be requested to issue a final recommendation report that will be the basis of the amendments requested.
- National consensus
The Administrative Committee will seek the help of its member organizations in the quest towards achieving the widest national consensus in relation to the amendment of these laws. The consensus process involves meeting and discussing the issue with the various Lebanese religious leaders, the political parties and members of parliament concerned with this specific issue.
- Popular awareness and public acceptance
Laws are effective by the force of their social acceptance. When laws contradict the values of the majority, they will not be properly implemented.
In the case of the laws related to violence against women and the violation of sexual integrity, the Lebanese society is well prepared to accept the amendments; however there will most probably be strong resistance from some ultraconservative circles which will need to be circumvented by an awareness campaign. In this instance the Council will call on the media to help promoting the cause.
The Council will also initiate a series of conferences and meetings that the organizations member of the LCW will undertake on the regional level.
The Council will need to provide training workshops to the volunteers who will lead and coordinate the discussions related to the amendments suggested.
- The Nationality Law
The Nationality Law is one of the most controversial laws that LCW is working on modernizing.
Amending the Nationality law aims at closing the gender gap represented by the fact that Lebanese women cannot independently pass citizenship to their children while Lebanese men are automatically eligible to extend their nationality to their wives and children. This inequality denies women their right as citizens and children their basic rights as human beings.
The issue in this instance is not national consensus. Few are against the amendment as a matter of principle. The problem lies in the fear of the Lebanese public from opening the door to the nationalization of a large refugee population.
Furthermore, there is an underlying fear in the Lebanese society from a sudden shift in the highly sensitive religious and cultural balance of the country.
The challenge facing LCW is to address the question of how to circumvent these fears.
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