Halte a la violence et au harcelement au travail, Ratifions la #C190

Hat off #Nigeria for ratifying the Convention 190 of the ILO on #violence and #harassment at work .

#RatifyC190 was the campaign we led this summer with various African representatives from diverse countries. Various representatives from African countries participated to the symposium, on violence and harassment at work.

The symposium about the Convention Nbr 190 and recommendation Nbr 206 of ILO, that I was glad to facilitate and participate in while giving multiple sessions.

The Nigerian colleagues did great while advocating for the ratification and being able to do so in November 2022, increasing the numbers of states that joined the convention to 22!

Let’s cross fingers for Lebanon to join the fight! #C190, as well as other countries.

Hat off #Nigeria for ratifying the @ilo convention 190 on #violence and #harassment . #RatifyC190 was the campaign we led this summer with various african countries. Let s cross fingers for our country to join the fight! #C190 https://t.co/lXpBQTGRu3

— Rita Chemaly (@Ritachemaly) November 8, 2022

Tres contente, enfin le #Nigeria a ratifie la convention190 de l’OIT sur la violence et le harcelement au travail.

En ete nous avons mene avec des representants.es. de plusieurs organisations gouvernmentales, syndicales, non gouvernementales une action de plaidoyer pour faire connaitre la convention et la recommandation numero 206 de l’OIT. Avec les participants.es une campagne en ligne a ete menee aussi pour faire connaitre la Convention et demander sa ratification par les pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Fiere d’avoir participer au symposium, un grand merci aux responsables de l’OIT pour leur confiance.

Maintenant que le Nigeria a ratifie la Convention C190, c’est autour d’autres Etats de le faire. La campagne et les efforts de plaidoyer doivent continuer. Les magnifiques et dynamiques participants.es au symposium, je suis sure, vont continuer leurs efforts, prete pour toute aide pour mener les campagnes de plaidoyer et de lobbying direct a bien!

Rita Chemaly

#C190 #16DAYS #RATIFYC190 #ILO #EndGBV #GBV #VAW

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Gender and trade Coalition interested in joining?

We, women’s rights organisations, movements and allies committed to advancing women’s human rights, come together to form the Gender and Trade Coalition in the firm belief that a feminist alliance on trade justice is required to address the pernicious impact of trade rules on women’s human rights and to produce informed policy responses addressing the structural causes of gendered human rights violations.

We welcome the increasing recognition from governments and institutions that trade and investment rules create gendered consequences. We are concerned, however, that common policy responses are simply designed to increase the numbers and role of women involved in the free flow of capital, resources, and labour. This approach positions women as instruments of trade growth, failing to address any adverse discriminatory and exploitative consequences of the global, rules based neoliberal order on women’s human rights. This is regardless of the significant role women play as producers, consumers, traders, workers, and principal providers of unpaid care.

The movements and organisations we represent recognise that the policies of austerity–trade liberalisation; finance, investment and labour deregulation; privatisation of public goods and services; and the constraints on public policy making and service delivery–produce devastating human rights outcomes for many of the world’s women.

We believe the guiding principles of the global economic order upon which trade and investment rules are built are fundamentally destructive for the advancement of women’s human rights. We recognise that neoliberalism, austerity, and trickle-down economics has failed around the world, yet the rules of this model are being cemented and deepened through trade and investment rules. We believe that the existential crises facing humanity–climate change, mass displacements and migration, obscene inequality and growing authoritarian, patriarchal governance–are linked to the global economic rules that have shaped the past forty years.

Trade rules constructed around principles of competition rather than solidarity, growth rather than human and sustainable development, consumption rather than conservation, individualism rather than public good, and market governance rather than participatory democracy cannot be the basis of a trade agenda that advances women’s human rights.

We believe that economic cooperation and multilateralism based on equitable, fair, sustainable, and gender-responsive principles can play a significant part in advancing women’s human rights. Global cooperation–rooted in principles of transparency, democracy and participation–that ensures capital contributes to the public goods and services necessary for the fulfilment of human rights is necessary. Global cooperation that redresses harm resulting from global trade supply chains is essential.

We believe that trade policies must affirm the primacy of governments’ human rights obligations under the UN Charter and international treaties and customary laws. Should trade policies diminish state capacity to meet human rights obligations, including the right to development, they must be modified.

We believe trade rules must not increase protections for multi-national corporations who are exerting a gigantic influence on trade policy making, avoiding taxes and accountability and exploiting labour, natural resources and personal data for their own profit maximisation. Trade rules must increase accountability of corporations who commit grave human rights violations, rather than provide corporations with unique recourse when judicial systems hold them accountable.

We believe trade policies should meet sustainable development needs of all countries, especially developing and Least-Developed countries, and the people including the women within these countries. Therefore trade policies must ensure the widest possible access to essential medicines, technologies and data and information, rather than restrict access. Trade policies should promote the sharing of seeds, resources and knowledge rather than penalising solidarity. Trade rules should expand and not limit governments’ capacities for broad-based and decent job creation based on living wages, especially for women. Trade rules should support governments to develop pro-poor policies and access to food including through the provision of food subsidies, public stockholdings and through providing preferential support to local, especially small-scale, women producers. We believe trade rules should support, not discourage, the growth of public spending on and ownership of public goods and services essential for human rights and the reduction and redistribution of women’s disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. These include food, water and sanitation, energy, infrastructure, transport, early childcare and education, healthcare services–rather than encourage privatisation.

We believe powerful vested interests should be prevented from influencing trade policies or providing financial support to political parties where they stand to benefit from the outcomes of trade negotiations. Instead trade policies should be developed democratically and facilitate informed participation in decision and consent processes by representative organizations of those most potentially impacted, such as women farmers, women workers, and Indigenous women.

We form this coalition to increase consciousness, capacity, research, and advocacy for trade and investment policies that facilitate a more equitable, socially just and sustainable global society in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms are actively promoted and can be fully enjoyed by all women.

 

Endorse the unity statement and join the Gender and Trade Coalition:

Read the unity statement here: bit.ly/JoinGenderTrade.The Gender and Trade Coalition is in formation, and all signatories are invited to share any analysis, experiences, and proposals to shape the coalition. Keep an eye out for future updates or email contact@gendertradecoalition.org directly to get involved.

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Audit Participatif du Genre

J’ai eu la chance de participer a une formation intensive, de plusieurs semaines, au debut à distance, puis en face a face, sur l’audit participatif du genre au ITC ILO a Geneve. Cela Grace , a la Commission Nationale pour La femme Libanaise (NCLW: Chequez notre site http://www.nclw.org.lb )

Qu’est ce que l’Audit du genre et a quoi sert il?

Deja l’audit est Participatif. On ne peut pas faire d’audit sans la cooperation de l’instance/ organisation / Institution / Companie auditee.

aussi, l’audit est une methode de recherche, j’en parle souvent dans mon cours de sociologie politique. Suite a la methode quantitative et qualitative on peut parler aussi de l’audit participatif, lie au genre, on essaye tout simplement de voir si dans diverses composantes de chaque instance, les droits , l’egalite et le genre sont respectes. Nous utilisons pour cela, tout comme dans les sciences sociales, si cheres a Durkheim , diverses sources pour les informations de l’audit.

on commence par une recherche litteraire ( en collectant via l’instance auditee, leur strategie, leur directives, des copies des mails addresses, les Termes de reference, leurs publications, leur organigram, leur circulaire et quelques decisions administratives, leurs agendas, et une panoplie de leurs programmes de formation. etc)

Plusieurs entretiens personnels peuvent aussi etre mis en place, avec des membres du personnel, des membres de l’administration, des experts techniques, meme avec l’equipe d’entretien ou bien avec les partenaires et les beneficiaires de l’instance auditee.

Les entretiens par groupe, les celebres focus groups , avec les equipes d’un meme programme, ou d’une meme branche.

Un Questionnaire peut etre aussi developpe, il aide a la comprehension des perceptions autour des questions du genre dans l’instance auditee (Banque, ministere, parti politique, universite, ONG, INGO, Donor….)

Suite a cela, plusieurs ateliers peuvent etre organises, ateliers interactifs ou les auditrices et auditeurs s’assurent des informations recues par les autres moyens, et des observations faites jusqu’a present.

Des Recommendations sont developpees, et generalement autour de 5 composantes de l’audit genre. (un autre billet a suivre autour du sujet)

La formation a l’ILO est interessante, elle permet de rencontrer sur un beau campus,  ou les ecureuils vivent dans les arbres et n’hesitent pas a se rapprocher de nous aux pauses cafes, des personnes differentes.

les “late night” discussions sont un plus, on “gazouille” en differentes langues et autour de sujets tellement diversifies!

a vous quelques photos du campus ….

a Suivre d’autres billets sur le sujet

Rita Chemaly

 

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“The document attached  on “Rural Women’s Right to Food & Nutrition” was drafted as a Submission for CSW 62. BUT, it is a powerful sustainable statement on the realities of women and food issues, and indeed, applies to all women, well beyond rural. It is intersectional with multiple rights of women and girls. It links to the economic, social, and cultural rights, civil and political rights, that are inclusive in gender equality and social justice.

the document has different parts:

I. The global food economy has been both gender-blind and male-biased.

II. The livelihoods of rural women producers are particularly under threat.

III. Rural women workers are employed in all sector of the rural economy, yet lack access to decent work.

IV. Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are central in women’s RTFN

V. Indigenous women and girls are most vulnerable and marginalized in many countries of the world, where they make up an important part of the rural population.

VI. Women’s rights have been historically isolated from the human RTFN within legally-binding language of key international human rights treaties.

below are the main demands for achieving women’s right to food and nutrition:

VII. Demands for achieving rural women’s RTFN.
1. Guarantee rural women producers’ access, control, management and ownership of all natural and productive resources on which they depend.
2. Recognize and support rural women’s knowledge, culture, traditions and practices (in relation to agriculture, fisheries, forestry, livestock rearing and other food producing sectors) and their ecological understanding and sustainable practices should inform the management and conservation of resources.
3. Guarantee and implement decent work for rural women workers based on existing international instruments in a non-discriminatory manner.
4. Guarantee that systems are put in place to ensure that rural women who engage in domestic work are seen as significantly contributing to the economy and receive social security benefits.
5. Recognize the “intertwined subjectivities” of woman and child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding framed through the lens of women’s rights throughout their lifespan – especially women’s and girls’ rights to SRHR.
6. Introduce policies and laws that enable States to regulate and avoid any undue interference of for-profit or commercially-motivated non-state actors in rural women’s RTFN.
7. Guarantee the full implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
8. Guarantee an adequate legal framework for the realization of rural women’s fundamental rights and freedoms based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
9. Ensure the independence and transparency of monitoring mechanisms in the context of the 2030 Agenda: these must be based on human rights, be free of any commercial or corporate undue influence and conflicts of interest, and ensure the full participation of the most affected by hunger and malnutrition, especially rural women.
10. Ensure the full realization of the RTFN of rural women within the framework of food sovereignty. ”

 

to read the full document, press the link below

CSW Written Submission _20171020

 

 

Rita Chemaly

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La parite n’est pas une option mais une exigence democratique…

Un coup grave pour les femmes libanaises: la loi electorale de 2017 ne comprend pas de quota pour les femmes.

Alors que le Liban a une des pires places concernant la participation politique des  femmes au sein du parlement, un tout tout petit 3% de femmes au sein de notre parlement en 2016.

avec une femme ministre au gouvernement, le Liban detient la pire des notes concernant la participation politique des femmes. la 143eme  place sur les 144 en ce qui concerne la participation politique.

Hier la coalition nationale pour les femmes en politique qui rassemble les ONGs, les activitistes et des entites etatiques qui ont pour mission l’avancee des droits des femmes, a hausse le ton.

les femmes libanaises sont pretes au combat, difficile certe, sans quota ou mesure positive de discrimination, mais pretes a s’allier et a se presenter aux elections .

en France dans le meme temps, une progression nette de 12 points pour les femmes dans l’Assemblee est soulignee par le Haut Conseil a l’Egalite.

une avancee de ” 12 points a été permise par l’effet conjugué des contraintes – loi sur le non cumul des mandats et doublement des pénalités financières pour les partis ne respectant pas la parité des candidatures – et l’objectif affiché de parité de la part du parti de la majorité présidentielle, arrivé largement en tête lors de ce second tour des élections législatives.”

Je ne peux que souhaiter a toutes mes amies partisanes au Liban , un combat difficile certe, de bien etre placee dans les listes des prochaines elections, et dans des circonscriptions ou elles peuvent gagner aussi.

en citant le Haut conseil a l’Egalite, je rappelle que ” la parité n’est plus une option mais une exigence démocratique. “

 

Rita Chemaly

 

 

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GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF MIGRATION

Eager to tell you about the MOOC  on Gender Based violence in the context of migration!

The course will begin on May 15!

what is a MOOC? a MOOC is Massive Online Open Course , that is offered for free by the Global Campus of Human Rights coordinated by the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC).

The Mooc addresses gender, migration, and Human rights studies. The Lecture I participate in, is related to gender based violence faced by migrants and asylum seeking girls in the MENA region. The Political Sciences Institute (ISP) of Saint Joseph University part of the Arab Master in Democracy and Human Rights,  has worked hard while dedicating a team to gather data, prepare, review, shoot, edit and produce the MOOC on GBV addressed by migrants girls and women in the region.  Examples for this specific lecture are taken from the newest published reports in the region related to GBV and SGBV.  Sexual Exploitation, trafficking  Statelessness, Child Marriage, Schooling and access to education are presented. Also main International Instruments addressing GBV are presented.

The MOOC is a free course of 5 hours per week, for 6 weeks, that is open to “upper year undergraduates; postgraduates; NGO activists and practitioners interested in interdisciplinary human rights, gender equality, women’s empowerment, migration; young lawyers and social scientists; active and motivated citizens from around the world.”

I am very excited to be part of this Global Campus MOOC, and to have prepared the first MOOC addressing GBV and women’s rights in the region. Can’t thank enough the team who helped put all the lecture together (ISP team you rock! )  as well as the friends who helped gather the latest information in a very short deadline. (Special thanks to Ghida, Hayat, Raghda, Zeina, Myriam, and special thanks to Jihad who filmed and edited the lecture ).

Stay tuned  and follow the link to participate and enroll  in the MOOC! https://www.eiuc.org/education/global-campus-mooc-gbv-migration.html 

In solidarity from Lebanon

Let us address GBV in our region and internationally with sustainable solutions!

Rita Chemaly

Screen Shot taken from the Global Campus page https://www.eiuc.org/education/global-campus-mooc-gbv-migration/the-mooc.html  

 

 

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KIP/AUB call for abstracts and proposals focusing on Discrimination and sexual harrassment

to all who might interested, kindly find below the KIP /AUB call for proposals and abstracts related to discrimination and sexual harassment.

You can propose before October 30 2016: In one of the following categories:

A.    Scholarly Research: Proposal to present the findings of a research study

B.    Expert Panel Debate:  Proposal to bring together a small group of experts to debate a central question

C.    Conference Sub-theme Track: Proposal to organize your own track (i.e., a series of connected sessions) around a key question

D.    Training Workshops: Proposal to organize a skill-based training workshop

full details are in the link sent below  http://thekipproject.info/call-for-abstracts/.

Good Luck and in Solidarity

Rita Chemaly

 

below is the mail I received from KIP project Director:

 

 

Dear KIP Community,

 

In preparation for the KIP multi-disciplinary conference that will be taking place on March 31st and April 1st, 2017 at the Olayan School of Business, we are happy to announce our Call for Abstracts and Proposals focused on examining issues pertaining to Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in relation to gender and sexuality within the context of Lebanon.

 

The two-day conference aims at bringing together activists, students, academics, private and public sector representatives, international organization representatives, donors as well as interested members from the general public to discuss and debate multiple formulations and manifestations of sexual harassment and discrimination and chart paths and processes for advocacy, policy recommendations and change at the organizational, community and societal levels.

 

Throughout the conference, we hope to generate recommendations for policies, practices and theory that are informed by multiple local perspectives and that provide momentum for specific ways through which we can support each other in the implementation of positive change forward.

 

Based on this, the attached call invites local and international candidates across sectors and disciplines to submit proposals or abstracts by October 30, 2016 falling under one of the following four below categories:

 

A.    Scholarly Research: Proposal to present the findings of a research study

B.    Expert Panel Debate:  Proposal to bring together a small group of experts to debate a central question

C.    Conference Sub-theme Track: Proposal to organize your own track (i.e., a series of connected sessions) around a key question

D.    Training Workshops: Proposal to organize a skill-based training workshop

 

Please see full details in the Call for Abstracts and Proposals attached. The guidelines for submissions are available on the KIP website http://thekipproject.info/call-for-abstracts/.

 

It would be great if you would consider submitting and, if possible, circulating widely among your networks.

 

with best wishes

Charlotte

 

 

 

 

 

Charlotte M. Karam, PhD

Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior

Associate Dean of Programs

Director of the KIP Project
Olayan School of Business

American University of Beirut

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Raise your voice and use your rights for gender equality!

Wonderful and amazing Video on gender equality by IWSAW-LAU, about the inequality facing women in Lebanon, and how decision makers are not considering the women voices!

The video, and the Lyrics are just great! by a simple cartoon they tackle GBV,  it tackles women stereotyping and the fact that law makers are not discussing women issues and rights with Women!!

I loved also  how they say that law makers prepare laws and forget them and Loose them in the drawers!!!

I remember that since 2011 many law amendments were presented to the Parliament in Lebanon regarding equality, and till now, LAWS were not Discussed !!! or Voted for….

MPs, did where , in which drawer did you hide those laws amendments?!!

Hat off IWSAW team!!!

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Are u interested in Gender studies?

Are you interested in a Master on gender??

finally a university in Lebanon has prepared and is offering an MA in gender studies:

LAU has an  M.A. Program in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies . It aims to promote ” gender equality and inclusiveness”. “The program focuses on gender, the socially-constructed understandings of what it means to be female or male, and how understandings of gender affects people across all social categories.”

below is the pdf that IWSAW sent me! check it out !!!

 

MA gender studies in Lebanon by LAU rita chemaly

 

 

Rita Chemaly

 

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Vacancy: expert in Gender Indicator

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR NON-KEYEXPERTSASSIGNMENT

Project:            “GENDER EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN LEBANON”

Location:         Beirut, Lebanon (NCLW offices in Hazmeih)

Expert: To Be Selected

Position:          Senior Non KeyExpert – Gender indicators

Period: May –June 2016

Mandatory/days:        25 working days

 

TEAM AND REPORTING LINES

Project Director:         Mario Costariol           costariol@eurecna.it

Team Leader:  Maggy Grabundzija    maggy.grabundzija@geewl.eu

Project Manager:        Diana Casallas            casallas@eurecna.it

EU Task Manager:      RoulaAbbas

The expert will report to: Maggy Grabundzija

 

BACKGROUND

The EU funded project on Gender Equity and Empowerment of Women in Lebanon aims to improve mainstreaming of the gender dimension at policy and sector levels in Lebanon by strengthening the National Commission of Lebanese Women’s internal governance towards effective fulfilment of its mandate, to create effective coordination and networking mechanisms with State and non-State actors and to improve media outreach and advocacy.

The mission aims at improving the set of gender indicators aimed at better monitoring and measuring trends related to gender equality in Lebanon. The project will facilitate the collaboration of NCLW with ESCWA and the Statistical Bureau in developing a national framework for developing national gender statistics related to MDGs and UN minimum set of gender indicators. The framework is a matrix of detailed gender disaggregated data that are available but some of it are not counted and not made available. The expert should make sure that this framework gives accurate, up-to-date picture about gender gaps in specific domains such as poverty, economy, education and literacy, health, decision-making and political participation, and violence against women.

The national framework includes collectedand published quantitative and qualitative gender disaggregated data, their sources, dates, availability, and their updatingthat are used as gender sensitive indicators to show the macro picture of the situation of women compared to men in agreed upon domains by all countries. The national framework will be used by NCLW in providing all clients (ministries, NGOs, universities) with these gender disaggregated indicators to assist them in their work and research.

CONTENTS OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Project Work Plan – Component II: Create effective coordination and networking mechanisms with state and non-state actors

Activity 2.1: Strengthening the capacity of the NCLW’s to coordinate national data collection for monitoring government policies and commitments to gender equity

The project will help NCLW in facilitating the compilation of a framework on minimum set of gender indicators that will help in monitoring the progress in gender equality and the collection of gender-disaggregated data and its updating. The choice of these internationally recognized indicators should address key policy concerns as identified in the Beijing Platform for Action and other important international commitments such as the Millennium Development Goals.  The indicators will facilitate measuring trends and also comparisons among the different countries. The framework will cover gender disaggregated statistics on poverty, economy, education and literacy, health, decision-making and political participation and violence against women.

 

SCOPE OF THE WORK

 

The appointed expert will be required to undertake the following tasks:

1. A detailed work plan of the STE discussed and approved by team leader and NCLW
2. Map gender indicators and segregated data in Lebanon in the domains of women’s economic activities and access to resources, education, health, public life and decision-making, human rights of women including violence against women and gender based violence and identify gaps in gender indicators and data collections in (Activity 2.1):
3. Undertaking a desk research on availability of sex-disaggregated data (surveys, census, administrative records, etc.)
4. Conducting interviews with main stakeholders working in data collections and gender indicators such as the Central Administration for Statistics (CAS), the different ministries, in addition to the UNESCWA and other UN agencies
5. Complete the national framework of gender statistics and indicators including the UN minimum set of gender indicators. Activity 2.1
6. Suggest system of unification of gender indicators for updating the UN Gender Index indicators in Lebanon including determining the gender indicators in need of improvement in terms of data collection/classification, the frequency of data update for each indicator and sub-indicators. Each indicator will depend on different sources and therefore the updating of all indicators has to be synchronized. The plan will suggest when the majority of indicators will be updated and identify a coordination mechanism on sharing gender data and indicators with the main stakeholders Activity 2.1
7. Prepare and deliver a training workshop for NCLW and GFP and NGOs(2 days) on gender sensitive indicators and their regular updating–

 

METHODOLOGY

The Expert will apply the following methodology:

1. Collection from secondary sources and analysis of national data and statistics – gap identification.
2. Organise at least 3 meetings with ESCWA statistical department and other UN agencies, the Central Administration for Statistics (CAS) of Lebanon
3. Prepare a schedule of meetings with relevant ministries, universities and NGOs working on gender related statistics
4. Prepare curriculum for training on gender sensitive indicators
5. Provide one training workshop to NCLW and GFPs and NGOs (20 trainees) on gender sensitive indicators and their updating

 

 

OUTPUTS REQUESTED

1. Detailed work plan for the Mission to be approved by Team Leader and NCLW.
2. An analytical report on available and missing sex disaggregated data in Lebanon with regard to poverty, economy, education, health, decision-making and political participation and violence against women, that will be used in the National statistical framework
3. Compile gender sensitive statistics on indicators in the national statistical framework  which is a large matrix that includes collected  gender disaggregated data, their sources, dates, availability, and their updating that are used  to show the macro picture of the situation of women compared to men in Lebanon in economic, political, education, health and human rights (violence) domains.
4. A report on updating the UN minimum set of gender indicators.
5. 2/day training workshop for NCLW staff, NGOs and gender focal points (20 trainees) on gender sensitive indicators
6. Suggest a mechanism of coordination for gender indicators and data
7. Mission report and presentation to NCLW.

 

TIMELINE

The assignment is expected to take place in the period between May – June 2016 (25 working days) as per the below timeline:

Action  Days

1. Analytical Report on available national sex disaggregated data (10 working days) 10 days: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.
2. National gender disaggregated statistical framework and updated UN minimum set of gender indicators with an updating plan(11 days) 11days: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 19, 20, 21
3. Preparation of curriculum and delivery of training on gender sensitive indicators and their updating (3 days)
4. Mission report and presentation to NCLW (1 day) 3 days:  22, 23, 24

1 day: 25

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLSREQUESTED FOR THE POSITION

1. Minimum Master’s degree in statistics, economics or related field
2. Strong statistical and IT skills
3. Excellent knowledge of English and Arabic(spoken and written)
4. Knowledge of French is an asset

GENERAL EXPERIENCE

1. Minimum of 10 years work experience in the field of statistics and indicators
2. Minimum of 2 years work experience in statistical packages software
3. At least3 years of experience in the field of gender statistics or indicators

 

GENERAL EXPERIENCE

1. Minimum of ten years work experience in the field of statistics and indicators
2. Minimum of 2 years work experience in the field of sex disaggregated statistics and gender indicators.
3. Excellent writing skills in English.
4. Previous work experience with the Lebanese Statistical Bureau.

 

SPECIFICEXPERIENCE

1. Three years’ experience in delivering training related to gender sensitive statistics or indicators
2. A minimum of five years work experience in developing surveys and questionnaires designs
3. Work experience of two years in Lebanon in a gender and development related field is an asset

To apply kindly send an email to Project Manager:  Diana Casallas            casallas@eurecna.it

 

Good luck Rita Chemaly

 

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While Parliament is reconducted Women still fight for their rights in municipalities : a change of law is a must!

The National Commission for Lebanese Women, that is a National machinery affiliated to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers , has prepared a Draft law aiming at Helping Women to be Candidates and Win the elections for the municipalities.

The municipalities elections in Lebanon are a family and neighbors issue. The Women who want to be candidate needs to be registered as a condition in the registry of the Municipality. “sejjel kayd”.

The discrimination appears in article 25, of the current Municipality law, in which a Women will loose all her links to the family, and networks that she has created in her municipality of origins ” sejil kaydiha el assassi”  if she gets married, as she is directly and without asking taken down from the registry of origin and enlisted in the registry of her “Husband”.

For me, it is a PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY in which a Women is the PROPRIETY of her FATHER until Marriage, after MARRIAGE, SHE IS THE PROPRIETY OF HER HUSBAND;

regardless my point of view of how the laws in LEBANON discriminate against women in the texts and make her directly affiliated to a MAN (the father or husband) , the new draft law is  a new step forward for women’s rights in Lebanon. this is done through this draft law amendment registered at the Parliament by the Active MP Ghassan Mukahiber, on the 11/4/2016 under registry number 168/2016,

as a Practical example, I as a married women from Achkout/Kesrwan , can be candidate after my marriage in Achkout if I wish ! Because in the Municipality of my Husband which is Deir Dourit/Chouf, no one have ever heard of me! 🙂 unlike Achkout, where all my activism, links, are tight 🙂

apart from this personal example, and for this,

 I am now asking ALL MPS (the reconducted oops! ) (another polemique here hein? ) to LEGIFERATE and VOTE and ratify this NEW amendment PRIOR TO THE 2016 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS!

WE AS WOMEN need IT!!!!  WE still fight for our rights in municipalities : a change of the law is a must!

Rita Chemaly

here is the text of the law amendment as presented to the parliament by Ghassan Mokhaiber.

here is the link to the Press release covered by our National News Agency! http://nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/show-news/216377/ 

 

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Vacancy Short term Expert on Gender Observatories

A short term  vacancy , there is an Opening for NON-KEY EXPERTS On Gender Observatory, who will have to work from Beirut Lebanon/NCLW office under the project : “GENDER EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN LEBANON” that is funded by the EU here is the link to the TOR http://nclw.org.lb/NewsList/76 in case you want to apply please Email: maggy.grabundzija@geewl.eu (Team Leader ) and (Project Manager: Diana Casallas :  casallas@eurecna.it

Good Luck to all candidates!!

PS: I don’t accept any phone calls or emails for this. Kindly do directly email team leader:  maggy.grabundzija@geewl.eu (Team Leader ) and (Project Manager: Diana Casallas :  casallas@eurecna.it;

I think it is june and july 2016  and not april and may as stated in the TOR below, but when you mail them you can inquire further

 

best

Rita Chemaly

Terms of Reference for non-key experts assignment

 

Project:	“GENDER EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN LEBANON”
Expert:	To Be Selected
Period:	June – July 2016

Location:	Beirut, Lebanon (NCLW offices in Hazmeih)
Position:	Senior Non Key Expert on Gender Observatories
Man/days:	20 working days

Team and Reporting Lines		Email
Project Director:	Mario Costariol	costariol@eurecna.it
Team Leader:	Maggy Grabundzija	maggy.grabundzija@geewl.eu
Project Manager:	Diana Casallas	casallas@eurecna.it
EU Task Manager:	Roula Abbas

background

The EU funded project on gender equity and empowerment of women in Lebanon aims to improve mainstreaming of the gender dimension at policy and sector levels in Lebanon by strengthening the National Commission of Lebanese Women’s internal governance towards effective fulfilment of its mandate, to create effective coordination and networking mechanisms with State and non-State actions and to improve media outreach and advocacy. The objective of the mission is to assess the possibility of establishing a Lebanese Gender Observatory at NCLW. The Observatory should ideally measure and identify gender inequalities and their trends in the fields of economic, political participation and violence against women and other gender issues.  It will provide policy makers and researchers with this information as well as with gender indicators which will help them in policy making and in undertaking research and different studies.

 

Contents of the Assignment

Project Work Plan – Component II: Create effective coordination and networking mechanisms with state and non-state actors Activity 2.1.3. Develop a feasibility study on setting up a Lebanese Gender Observatory at NCLW The observatory should ideally measure, identify and assess inequalities and their evolution, and working to make them visible so that they can influence policy makers and legislators.  The observatory shall collect and analyse relevant information about gender inequalities such as draft laws submitted to Parliament, reports to legislative bodies and those required for reporting on international conventions and relevant research conducted by research institutions, universities, international organizations and NGOs. A non-key expert who has experience in setting-up such observatories or has worked in one will be providing a feasibility study including mission, structure, role, staffing, inputs and outputs of the Observatory

 

Scope of the Work

The appointed expert will be required to undertake the following tasks: 1.        Carry out the mission following a  work plan that has to be discussed and approved by the team leader and NCLW 2.        Carry out a mapping of existing  gender observatory(ies) in Lebanon and draw lessons learned from their experience 3.        Based on the findings of the mapping, propose priority(ies) on gender related issue that can be covered by  the gender observatory 4.        Identify  the basic  requirements (possible structure ,human resources, funds, cooperation of other partners, sustainability…etc.) needed to set up a gender observatory at NCLW 5.        Share a minimum of two examples of good sustainable practices of gender observatories established in other countries of similar context and provide analysis on factors of the success and the lessons learned from the experiences. 6.        Deliver a presentation to NCLW and TL with the findings of his/her mission with regard to the feasibility/possibility/convenience of  establishment of gender observatory

 

Methodology

The Expert will apply the following methodology: 1.        Desk review of gender related documents, legislations, gender indicators available at NCLW and  in Lebanon 2.        Interviews with various relevant stakeholders in Lebanon i.e. staff of NCLW, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), UNESCWA, the Central administration for statistics (CAS), gender experts, universities, etc. 3.        Developing a feasibility study regarding the establishment of a Lebanese Gender Observatory at NCLW which can provide policy makers and researchers with data and indicators on any gender inequalities in the fields of political, economic participation and violence against women and all gender issues related to CEDAW and Beijing Platform of Action.

Outputs Requested

1.        A  detailed work plan of the mission to be approved by Team Leader 2.        A feasibility study on requirements with regards to data, structure, indicators, human resources, funds necessary, sustainability to establish a gender observatory at NCLW. The study will include a mapping of similar gender observatory in Lebanon. The study will also provide an analysis of 2 good sustainable practices of gender observatories which will help in setting up a gender observatory at NCLW 3.        A Power point presentation on findings of the study to Project Team 4.        Final Mission report

Timeline
The assignment is expected to take place in April – May (20 working days) as per the below timeline:
Action	Days
1.        Review the data available in Lebanon on gender related issues needed to establish the gender observatory, identify previous experiences of gender observatory and conduct interviews with implementers (8 days)	8 days: 1,2,3,4,5, 6, 7,8
2.        A feasibility study on gender observatory at NCLW (the study will have two parts: Part I, the availability of external resources (data, statistics, indicators, studies…etc.) and rationale the choice of the gender observatory fields of interventions. The study will also include mapping of similar gender observatories in Lebanon and model examples of other gender observatories that can be made use of , Part II, the extent of availability of internal resources required for establishing the observatory (i.e. structure, human resources, financial resources, management resources…etc.) (11 days)	9 days:, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,17,18,19
3.        Mission report and presentation (1 day)	1 day: 20

Qualifications and Skills requested for the position 1.        Minimum M.A. in gender and development, development studies, or other related social science 2.         Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English 3.         Knowledge of Arabic and/or French language is an asset

General experience 1.        Minimum of 10 years work experience in gender and development related field. 2.        Minimum of 5 years of  experience in undertaking research in the field of gender and development 3.        Minimum of3 years of experience in developing feasibility studies in gender related fields

Specific experience 1.        Minimum five years work experience on gender related issues   in an ENPI country. 2.        Minimum two years previous experience on how to use data and research in influencing policies 3.        A minimum of one experience in research/studies or work related to establishment of a gender observatory

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What are the discrimination facing women in Lebanon

To all the blog readers wanting to know what the national machinery in Lebanon is working on regarding to Women’s rights in lebanon, here is the Annual Report dated December 2014 covering all the components from LAWS to Circulars, with clear details regarding the discrimination faced by women . Also, the networking happening between the NCLW and the CSOs as well as the International agencies is clear!!

the report is in 2 languages!!!

Rita Chemaly!!

Women in Lebanon will one day be Free of ALL kind of Discriminations thanks to the efforts of ALL!!!

 

NCLW Annual Report 2014 copy reducedNCLW Annual Report 2014 english and arabic

 

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CSW 60th session march 2016 draft conclusions

Here is the direct Link to Full 18-Page CSW 60 Draft Agreed Conclusions Revision 2:

http://www.ngocsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Draft_agreed_conclusions_march_15.pdf?utm_source=website&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=draft_agreed_conclusion_march_14

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#Lebanon and #Women #Rights a Long Road Ahead

Today the National Commission for Lebanese women and UNFPA, worked hard on disseminating the Concluding observations published by the United Nations Committee on Lebanon. The concluding observations are a kind of ” findings”  that cover how each country is implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, #CEDAW, this year these findings ” highlight positive developments ”  and most importantly highlight ”  main matters of concern and recommendations”.

UN committee give those observations after holding discussions with the government delegation and the NGOs of the country.

The Last recommendation of this batch was already implemented by NCLW and UNFPA: Disseminating the observations widely! Picture taken by Rita Azzi 

 

This year the main area of concern were numerous:

I am listing their titles below:

• Refugee, asylum-seeking and stateless women\
• Parliament
• Withdrawal of reservations
• Constitutional framework
• Legislative framework
• Access to Justice
• National machinery for the advancement of women
• Stereotypes
• Violence against women
• Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution
• Participation in political and public life
• Education
• Employment
• Women migrant workers in domestic service\
• Women Palestine refugees
• Health
• Rural women
• Marriage and family relations

as for the main areas of concerns: here is their translation to arabic for those who wish to get a quick look! (Lebanon cedaw Areas of concerns in arabic Rita Chemaly)

I am copy pasting for those who are interested in the Principal areas of concern and recommendations as they were published in the document of the UN #cedaw committee. 

Refugee, asylum-seeking and stateless women

11. The Committee commends the State party for the open border and reception policy that it has had for years regarding refugees from Palestine, Iraq and Syria, for hosting over 2 million refugees and its remarkable and sustained efforts to ensure the protection of refugees and asylum seekers. However, it takes note of the policy paper on Syrian displacement in Lebanon approved by the Council of Ministers on 23 October 2014 and the three main priorities for managing the displacement crisis. The Committee is concerned that the 1962 Law regulating the Entry, Stay and Exit to/in/from Lebanon does not distinguish between asylum seekers/refugees and migrants. The Committee is further concerned about the high number of reported cases of child, early and forced marriage among Syrian refugee women and girls and the lack of official data on this phenomenon, as well as on the number of stateless persons in Lebanon.
12. The Committee recommends, in line with its general recommendation No. 32 (2014) on the gender-related dimensions of refugee status, asylum, nationality and statelessness of women, that the State party:

(a)     In the implementation of its policy paper on Syrian displacement in Lebanon approved by the Council of Ministers on 23 October 2014, ensure that the principle of non-refoulement is upheld, including for women and girls in need of international protection, by ensuring access to its territory, establishing gender-sensitive asylum procedures, and including gender-based violence as a ground for asylum, in line with Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention;

(b)     Review the 1962 Law regulating the Entry, Stay and Exit to/in/from Lebanon, to distinguish between the protection needs of asylum seeking and refugee women on one hand and migrant women on the other hand;

(c)      Seek technical support for the establishment of a data collection system on incidents of gender-based violence against women, in particular sexual violence, and incidents of child, early and forced marriages of refugee women and girls, and provide victims with medical and psychosocial assistance and access to justice, in line with Article 2 of the Convention, and the Committee’s General Recommendation No. 33 (2015) on women’s access to justice;

(d)     Conduct a census to ascertain the number of stateless persons in its territory and take the necessary measures, provide them with civil registration documents and consider ratifying the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Additional Protocol, the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness;

(e)      Enlist and mobilize the support of the international community to share the economic burden and to provide for the needs of the refugee population, including resettlement and humanitarian admission opportunities and continue cooperating with UNHCR;

(f)      Adopt a national action plan to implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, and ensure women’s participation at all stages of peace processes, in line with the Committee’s General Recommendation No. 30 (2013) on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, and seek the support of the international community for the implementation of its obligations.

Implementation

13. The Committee is fully aware of the efforts undertaken by the State party to adopt a legal and institutional framework protecting and promoting women’s rights. The Committee urges the State party to consider the recommendations contained in the present concluding observations as requiring a high priority for national mobilization and international support. The Committee urges the State party to promptly implement the present concluding observations by setting up a coordination mechanism with all relevant State institutions at all levels, the parliament and the judiciary, and the civil society, as well as with its international partners.

Parliament

14. The Committee stresses the crucial role of the legislative power in ensuring the full implementation of the Convention (see the statement by the Committee on its relationship with parliamentarians, adopted at the forty-fifth session, in 2010). It invites the Parliament, to take all measures necessary to unblock the current institutional crisis and, in line with its mandate, to take the steps necessary for the implementation of the present concluding observations.

Withdrawal of reservations

15. Notwithstanding the detailed explanations given by the delegation, the Committee remains concerned about the State party’s reluctance to withdraw its reservation to:

(a)     Article 9 (2), with a view to granting women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.. The Committee also notes with concern that the Council of Ministers repeatedly endorsed the discriminatory provision in Decree No. 15 of 1925 on Lebanese Nationality establishing that nationality is exclusively based on patrilineal descent;

(b)     Article 16 (1) (c), (d), (f) and (g) regarding equality in marriage and family relations.

16. The Committee calls upon the State party to:

(a)     Withdraw its reservation made upon accession to the Convention regarding article 9 (2) and repeal Decree No. 15 of 1925 on Lebanese Nationality and adopt legislation ensuring women equal rights with men to confer their nationality to their foreign spouse and children;

(b)     Withdraw its reservation made upon accession to the Convention regarding article article 16 (1) (c), (d), (f) and (g).

       (c)           Initiate a dialogue with the leaders of religious sects communities and religious scholars, taking in consideration best practices in the region, with a view to overcome the resistance to the withdrawal of its reservations to the Convention.

Constitutional framework

17. The Committee remains concerned that the Lebanese Constitution is still not in full conformity with the Convention and does not explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. It is also concerned about the limited scope and applicability of the procedure for challenging laws on the basis that they are incompatible with the State party’s Constitution and its international legal obligations.
18. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendations to include in the Constitution a provision defining and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, in line with article 2 (a) of the Convention (CEDAW/C/LBN/CO/3, paras. 10 and 11 and A/60/38, para. 95 adopted in 2005) and to amend articles 9 and 10 of the Constitution to ensure gender equality in the context of religious freedom and sectarian diversity.

Legislative framework

19. The Committee welcomes the initial review legislation containing discriminatory provisions against women by the State party but is concerned about the delays in adopting the required amendments. The Committee welcomes the amendment of the Criminal Code and the repeal of its Article 562. However, it is concerned about the remaining discriminatory criminal law provisions as well as personal status laws that discriminate against women within sects and between women across different sects. The Committee is also concerned about discriminatory provisions in labour, social security and municipal elections laws.
20. The Committee recommends that the State party expedite a comprehensive legislative review to ensure compatibility with the provisions of the Convention, and, upon resolution of the institutional crisis and the re-functioning of the government, urges it to amend or repeal all articles of the Criminal Code, personal status laws as well as labour, social security and municipal election laws that discriminate against women.

Access to Justice

21. The Committee is concerned about the obstacles women face when accessing the justice system, in particular the lack of adequate legal aid services and the lack of knowledge and sensitivity of justice officials regarding women’s rights.
22. The Committee in line with its general recommendation No. 33, on women’s access to justice, recommends that the State party:

(a)     Institutionalize systems of legal aid and public defence that are accessible, sustainable and responsive to the needs of women and ensure that such services are provided in a timely, continuous and effective manner at all stages of judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings, including alternative dispute resolution mechanisms;.

(b)     Take immediate steps, including capacity-building and training programmes for justice system personnel on the Convention and women’s rights , to ensure that religious courts harmonize their norms, procedures and practices with the human rights standards enshrined in the Convention and other international human rights instruments.

National machinery for the advancement of women

23. The Committee regrets the institutional weakness, the limited status, the insufficient decision-making authority, human, technical and financial resources of the national machinery for the advancement of women and the obstacles faced concerning coordination and gender mainstreaming throughout all government bodies. The Committee is concerned about the low level of coordination between the gender focal points within the line Ministries with the Department of Women’s Affairs of the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Committee is also concerned about the limited and inadequate information provided on the implementation of the National Strategy for Women in Lebanon.
24. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation (CEDAW/C/LBN/CO/3, para. 21) that the State party:

(a)     Give urgent priority to strengthen the institutional capacity of the national machinery for the advancement of women, and provide it with the mandate, decision-making power and human, technical and financial resources that are necessary to work effectively for the promotion of equality of women and men and the enjoyment of their human rights;

(b)     Institutionalize and strengthen the system of gender focal points in line Ministries and other public institutions in order to achieve an effective gender mainstreaming strategy throughout its policies and programmes;

(c)      Ensure coordination between the national machinery and its cooperation with civil society and women’s non-governmental organizations with a view to promote a participatory planning for the advancement of women.

(d)     Accelerate the implementation of the National Strategy for Women in Lebanon by adopting a plan of action that clearly defines the competencies of national and local authorities regarding the National Strategy, and supported by a comprehensive data collection system to monitor its implementation.

Stereotypes

25. The Committee is concerned about the discriminatory patriarchal stereotypes about the roles and responsibilities of women and men in society and in the family and the role of the media in overemphasizing the traditional role of women as mothers and wives or commodities thus undermining women’s social status and their educational and professional careers. The Committee notes with concern that the advertising sector persistently convey stereotyped and sometimes degrading images of women.
26. The Committee recommends that the State party take all measures necessary to raise awareness of the media and the advertising sector to eliminate discriminatory gender stereotypes, to ensure that women are not portrayed only as wives and mothers or commodities and to promote positive images of women as active participants in political, economic and social life.

Violence against women

27. The Committee welcomes the adoption of Law No. 293 of 7 May 2014 on the protection of women and other family members from domestic violence. However, the Committee notes with concern the absence in the law of an explicit reference to gender-based violence against women and of provisions specifically criminalizing marital rape, crimes committed in the name of so-called honour, and other harmful practices. It is also concerned that the law continues to maintain discriminatory provisions with regard to the criminalization of adultery and that it takes no precedence over customary and personal status laws. The Committee further regrets the lack of disaggregated data on the number of reports, investigations, prosecutions and convictions in cases of violence against women, including sexual harassment, domestic violence, assault and rape, including by security forces.
28. The Committee urges the State party to:

(a)     Amend Law No. 293 on domestic violence, in line with the Committee’s general recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against women, to specifically criminalize gender-based violence against women, marital rape, crimes committed in the name of so-called honour, and other harmful practices;

(b)     Remove discriminatory provisions between women and men regarding adultery and ensure that Law No. 293 on the protection of women and other family members from domestic violence takes precedence over customary and personal status laws;

(c)      Collect data, disaggregated by sex, age, nationality and relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, on the number of reported cases of violence against women, of prosecutions, convictions and sentences imposed on perpetrators

(d)     Strengthen the legal, medical and psychological support to victims of violence against women;

(e)      Ensure that all allegations of sexual harassment are recorded and that all allegations of assault and rape, are duly investigated, prosecuted and sanctioned and that victims have access to appropriate redress, including compensation. Ensure that all allegations of assault and rape by members of the security forces are investigated by an independent judicial authority.

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

29. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the Anti-trafficking Law No. 164 of 2011 but notes with concern that the artist visa scheme of 1962 facilitates sexual exploitation of women migrant workers in the entertainment sector, and that the law no. 164 is not effectively being enforced, that it criminalizes victims and is without prejudice to the artist visa scheme. It is also concerned about the absence of an early identification and referral system for victims of trafficking who are frequently arrested, detained and deported without adequate protection and assistance for victims and weak coordination between government security, justice and social services as well as lack of cooperation with civil society.
30. The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a)     Review and revise the artist visa scheme to ensure it is not misused for the sexual exploitation of women and take appropriate steps to decrease the demand side of prostitution;

(b)     Amend article 523 of the Criminal Code as necessary to ensure that victims of trafficking are not subjected to prosecution;

(c)      Provide mandatory gender-sensitive capacity-building for judges, prosecutors, border police, immigration authorities and other law enforcement officials to ensure the strict enforcement of the Anti-Trafficking Law by promptly prosecuting all cases of trafficking in women and girls and adequately punishing traffickers;

(d)     Ensure early identification and referral to protection of trafficking victims; and strengthen assistance to victims of trafficking, including by granting temporary residence permits to victims of trafficking irrespective of their ability or willingness to cooperate with the prosecution authorities and by providing them access to alternative income opportunities, respectively;

(e)      Provide victims of trafficking with adequate access to health care and counselling and strengthen those services by providing targeted training to social workers;

(f)      Ensure inter-agency coordination between government security, justice and social services to combat trafficking and strengthen cooperation with civil society.

 

Participation in political and public life

The Committee is concerned about the gross underrepresentation of women in public and political life; the lack of capacity-building for political parties and labour unions representatives on women’s rights and regrets that the draft law providing for a 30 per cent minimum quota for women’s representation on candidates lists of political parties for parliamentary elections was not adopted. It is concerned about the strong political resistance to the adoption of temporary special measures to effectively promote women’s equal participation in public and political life.

31. The Committee recommends that the State party:

       (a)           Take all appropriate measures to increase the number of women in elected and appointed office at all levels, so as to comply with article 7 of the Convention;

(b)     Take concrete measures, including temporary special measures in accordance with article 4 (1) of the Convention, the Committee’s general recommendation no. 23 on women in political and public life and general recommendation no. 25 on temporary special measures, and to establish concrete goals and timetables in order to accelerate the increase in the representation of women in all spheres of public and political life;

(c)      Implement awareness-raising campaigns to highlight the importance to society as a whole of women’s full and equal participation in leadership positions in all sectors and at all levels and explain the purpose of introducing temporary special measures such as quotas as a necessary strategy for accelerating realization of women’s de facto equality..

Education

33. The Committee notes the recommendation in the study by the National Committee for the Follow-up of Women’s Issues and the Centre for Educational Research and Development to eliminate discriminatory gender stereotypes in school books. However, the Committee is concerned that the State party’s has not taken effective steps to remove such stereotypes from school curricula and textbooks. It is also concerned about the lack of training for teachers on women’s rights and gender equality and limited career guidance encouraging women and girls to choose non-traditional career paths, in particular in the fields of science and technology.
34. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts in reviewing school curricula and textbooks to eliminate any stereotyped and patriarchal roles of women. It reiterates its previous recommendation (CEDAW/C/LBN/CO/3, para. 25) that the State party enhance training for teachers on gender, women’s rights and equality. The Committee further recommends that the State party give priority to eliminating traditional stereotypes and structural barriers that may deter girls from enrolling in traditionally male-dominated fields of study, such as science and technology, and step up efforts to provide girls with career counselling on non-traditional career paths including non-stereotypical vocational training.

Employment

35. The Committee welcomes the adoption of Laws No. 266 and No. 267 of 15 April 2014 extending maternity leave in the public and private sectors to 10 weeks with full pay. However, the Committee is concerned about the lack of measures to promote the concept of shared family responsibilities and to combat the difficulties women face in combining work and family responsibilities. The Committee is also concerned about women’s limited access to the formal labour market and about the absence of legislation criminalizing sexual harassment in the work place. The Committee is further concerned about the occupational segregation and the high percentage of women in low paid jobs as service sector workers and salespersons, administrative staff and mid-level professions as well as gender pay gaps.
36. The Committee calls on the State party to:

(a)     Promote equal sharing of family and domestic responsibilities between women and men, including by introducing compulsory paternity or shared parental leave following childbirth;

(b)     Take measures, including temporary special measures in line with article 4 (1) of the Convention and General Recommendation No. 5 (1988) on temporary special measures, such as incentives for employers to recruit women, introduce flexible working arrangements and strengthen professional training for women, with a view to enhancing women’s access to the formal labour market;

(c)      Adopt legislation criminalizing sexual harassment in the work place;

(d)     Take concrete measures to address horizontal and vertical segregation including by promoting the equal participation of women in highly skilled jobs and senior management positions; providing counselling and placement, that stimulate their on-the-job career development and upward mobility in the labour market; stimulating the diversification of occupational choices by both women and men; encouraging women to take up non-traditional jobs, especially in science and technology, and men to seek employment in the social sector and providing women with access to effective job training, retraining, counselling and placement services that are not limited to traditional employment areas;

(e)      Take concrete measures to close the gap between women’s and men’s pay and to implement the principle of equal pay for work of equal value including by establishing a body responsible for conducting job evaluation schemes with gender-neutral criteria.

Women migrant workers in domestic service

37. The Committee welcomes the various measures adopted by the State party to protect the rights of women migrant domestic workers, including by issuing unified contracts, requiring employers to sign up to an insurance policy, regulating employment agencies, adopting a law criminalizing human trafficking, and integrating women migrant domestic workers in the Social Pact and the National Strategy for Social Development. However, the Committee notes with concern that these measures have proved insufficient to ensure respect for the human rights of women migrant domestic workers. The Committee is equally concerned about the rejection by the Ministry of Labour of the application of the National Federation of Labour Union to establish a Domestic Workers’ Union and the .absence of an enforcement mechanism for work contracts of women migrant domestic workers; limited access by women migrant domestic workers to health care and social protection; and the non-ratification of ILO convention No. 189. The Committee is concerned about the high incidence of abuse against women migrant workers in domestic service and the persistence of practices such as the confiscation of passports by employers, the maintenance of the “Kafala system” which puts workers at risk of exploitation and make it difficult for them to leave abusive employers; obstacles affecting domestic workers’ access to justice, including fear of expulsion, insecurity of residence during procedures. The Committee is deeply concerned about the disturbing reports of documented deaths of migrant domestic workers from unnatural causes, including suicide and falls from tall buildings and the failure of the State party to investigate into those deaths.
38. The Committee, in line with its General Recommendation No. 26 (2008), on Women Migrant Workers, recommends that the State party:

(a)     Raise awareness among women migrant domestic workers of their human rights under the Convention, and monitor the work of employment agencies, including by establishing an enforcement mechanism to ensure that the same contracts are used in the State party and in countries of origin;

(b)     Expedite the adoption of the draft law regulating domestic employment with adequate sanctions for employers engaging in abusive practices and ratify ILO Convention No. 189 (2011) on decent work for domestic workers;

(c)      Abolish the “Kafala system” and ensure the effective access to justice, of women migrant domestic workers including by guaranteeing their safety and residence during procedures;

(d)     Promptly investigate, prosecute and sanction all reports of deaths of women migrant domestic workers from unnatural causes;

(e)      Take the measures necessary to protect the rights of women migrant domestic workers including by approving the establishment of a Domestic Workers’ Union.

Women Palestine refugees

39. The Committee is concerned about restrictions on the right to work of Palestine refugee women.
40. The Committee recommends that the State party review and amend its labour laws to ensure Palestine refugee women’s right to work, namely by providing them with access to the labour market in the State party.

Health

41. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the “Comprehensive Primary Health Care Package and Services” by the Ministry of Public Health in 2013, the establishment of primary health care centres throughout the State party and the progress achieved in reducing maternal mortality. The Committee is, however, concerned about the limited access of women and adolescent girls to sexual and reproductive health services in rural and remote areas in the State party. It is also concerned about insufficient monitoring of private health care providers, which offer most of the specialized health services for women. The Committee further notes with concern the high number of unsafe abortions due to the strict criminalization of abortion and the delay in introducing age-appropriate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights at the primary, intermediate and secondary levels of education.
42. The Committee recommends that the State party provide comprehensive health services, in particular sexual and reproductive health services, in each region in relation to area and population size; take measures to adequately monitor the performance of private health care providers, and introduce age-appropriate education on sexual and reproductive health in the curricula at the primary, intermediate and secondary levels of education. The Committee also recommends that the State party legalize abortion at least in cases of threats to the life or health of the mother, rape, incest, and severe fetal impairment and that it increase women’s access to safe abortion and post-abortion care services.

Rural women

43. The Committee welcomes the creation in 2008 of the National Observatory for Women in Agriculture and Rural Areas by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Committee notes with concern the lack of updated disaggregated data on women’s participation in the agricultural sector. It remains concerned about the exclusion of women agricultural seasonal workers from the protection of the Labour Code and the limited initiatives for women’s access to rural entrepreneurship through technical assistance, micro credit facilities and bank accounts.
44. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation that the State party collect updated disaggregated data on women working in the agricultural sector, adopt legislation for the protection of women agricultural seasonal workers and strengthen the support for the entrepreneurial initiatives of women in the rural areas.

Marriage and family relations

46. The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a)     Adopt an optional civil personal status law based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination and the right to choose one’s religious affiliation in order to protect women and alleviate their legal, economic and social marginalization;

(b)     Require religious sects to codify their laws and submit them to Parliament for review of their conformity with the Constitution and the provisions of the Convention; that it establish an appeals mechanism to oversee religious court proceedings and ensure that judgements of religious courts do not discriminate against women;

(c)      Set the legal minimum age for marriage at 18 years for girls and boys, in line with international standards, and takes the measures necessary to effectively prevent child marriage among rural girls.

 

 

in brief, in Lebanon, the long road ahead for equality is a process that needs many institutions to work hard , public administrations to make efforts, political will, working on behaviors, customs, and so much more!

the task is enormous? yes! but sooo many magnificient activists worked restlessly to have some positiveness in all this. We need to continue the struggle, and fight for #equal rights!!

Rita Chemaly

if you wish to download the full text of the concluding observations here is the word text:

CEDAW_Concluding observations on Lebanon 2015 Rita Chemaly

The source for the document is : http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=970&Lang=en

‪#‎16DaysofActivism‬ ‪#‎GBVTeachin‬ ‪#‎womenlead‬ ‪#‎orangetheworld‬  ‪#‎EndGBV‬ ‪#‎16days‬ #16dayscampaign

 

 

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@16DaysCampaign Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign new theme on Education for 2015

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign has announced its new theme for 2015.

The Campaign that will be held from November 25 to December 10 will focus on:

“From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!”

Below is a clearer view of what is thought of under the theme of 2015:

“Under this global theme, the 16 Days Campaign is asking you to join in advancing the right to education and challenging violence, discrimination, and inequity in education at the intersection of gender, race or ethnicity, religion, real or perceived sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and other social identifiers. You can start thinking about what spaces and access to education look like in your community, country, or region. In planning your participation, consider the ways in which militarism affects education, whether in peacetime, during conflict, in refugee and IDP camps, in indigenous territories, in schools and other education settings, or even on the streets. Consider how violence and increased militarism has affected the education of young people in countries that have recently experienced different types of armed conflict; how extremism through State and non-State policies and practices have affected the right to education, especially for girls; and how government expenditures on arms and other priorities of militarization set the tone in funding for safe and accessible education for all .”

In Lebanon Education is a huge domain in which clear action plans need to be implemented, the Problem is access and quality of education for several people living in Lebanon.

I am thinking of all those IDPs camp in which I was greeted by yound children that didn’t go to school, and stayed in the camps all day long.

below is the link the website:

http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/2015-campaign/2015-theme

here is what you Can do to join this Global Movement:

RESOURCES FOR 2015

CWGL is in the process of developing resources and campaign materials, which will provide useful background information on the theme and suggestions for planning campaign activities.

CWGL will be posting these resources on the 16 Days Campaign website over the months leading up to the campaign. You can also write to the 16 Days Campaign (16days@cwgl.rutgers.edu) to request hard copies of these materials. Participants can visit our website (http://16days.cwgl.rutgers.edu) to download the Take Action Kit materials or to request a hard copy when available.

Join the 16 Days Campaign!

The 16 Days Campaign is open to participants engaging in action on these issues in ways that are relevant to their specific context. Participants know best on what and with whom they can engage – whether their governments or communities – to challenge and change in positive terms the structures which perpetuate gender-based violence. Create or join a community, campus, national or international activity! Request campaign materials, join the 16 Days listserv, and use past International Calendars of Activities (available online) to spark ideas for your activities or to find information about groups in your area. Use of the hashtag #16Days on social media is encouraged!

Share your plans!

As November approaches, remember to submit your plans to CWGL for posting to the 2015 International Campaign Calendar to become part of the global 16 Days Campaign movement. The International Campaign Calendar can be found at http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/campaign-calendar.

Check out the website!

If you would like more information about the international 16 Days Campaign, please visit the website http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html. Pictures from previous 16 Days Campaigns can be viewed on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/16dayscampaign.

Sign up for the 16 Days e-mail list!

Join the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence e-mail listserv, which gives activists a space to share work against violence, build partnerships with others worldwide, and develop strategies and themes for the annual 16 Days Campaign. Sign up at https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo/16days_discussion.

ABOUT THE 16 DAYS CAMPAIGN

Since its founding in 1991, the Center for Women’s Global Leadership has been the global coordinator of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. For the past twenty-five years, the 16 Days Campaign has been dedicated to advocacy and coordination of work in support of ending gender-based violence at the local, national, and international levels. The dates, November 25th (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and December 10th (Human Rights Day), were chosen to emphasize the links between ending gender-based violence and human rights principles and highlight that gender-based violence is an international human rights violation. The 16 Days Campaign is used as an organizing strategy to call for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence by individuals, groups, and institutions throughout the world.

Attached is the full PDF form :

Theme Announcement 2015 FINAL_English

Rita Chemaly

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Parliamentary Commissions in Lebanon are studying the electoral law , are they considering a women quota?

As Parliamentary Commissions in Lebanon are studying the electoral law , we have been invited as Women active groups to give our opinion related to the “temporary, measure” the women  quota.

The first question that comes to mind:  are they considering a women quota?

yes they do, but Under which electoral system, no body know 😦 how Lebanon will be divided in régions, the annexe was not distributed for us to review it.

what is a quota for women, here is an extract from Atlas of Electoral Gender Quotas © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2014.

Direct Link to Full 16-Page Text: http://www.idea.int/publications/atlas-of-electoral-gender-quotas/upload/Atlas-on-Electoral-Gender-Quotas_3.pdf

“Electoral Gender Quotas – A Major Electoral Reform

Gender quotas are numerical targets that stipulate the number or percentage of women that must be included in a candidate list or the number of seats to be allocated to women in a legislature. They aim to reverse discrimination in law and practice and to level the playing field for women and men in politics. Gender quotas, as they mostly regulate political parties’ actions, underscore the notion of political parties as the ‘gatekeepers’ through which citizens pursue opportunities for political leadership (Dahlerup 2006). Therefore quotas play a critical role in providing meaningful and effective opportunities for female party members to access elected public offices. To date, gender quotas have proved to be the single most effective tool for ‘fast-tracking’ women’s representation in elected bodies of government. It is, however, important to note that as an extensive body of research in this field suggests, quotas may have a differential impact in different contexts and in different electoral systems and may take longer than a single electoral cycle to produce the desired impact. Furthermore, electoral gender quotas do not remove all structural, institutional and societal barriers for women in politics, and need to be complemented by other measures designed to level the playing field for women.

There are three key types of gender quotas in politics:

1. Legislated candidate quotas – These quotas regulate the gender composition of the candidate lists and are binding by law for all political parties in the election; they are mandated either through national constitutions or by electoral legislation.

2. Legislated ‘reserved seats’ – These measures regulate by law the gender composition of elected bodies, by reserving a certain number or percentage of seats for women members, implemented through special electoral procedures; they are mandated either through national constitutions or by electoral legislation.

3. Party quotas (also called voluntary party quotas) – These quotas are adopted by individual parties for their own candidate lists, and are usually enshrined in party statutes and rules.

All key types of gender quotas are increasingly used around the world to promote women’s political participation and representation. To date, some 1185 countries and territories— more than half of all—use some type of gender quota for an elected office. Based on the information presented in this Atlas, 60 countries and territories/special areas around the world use legislated candidate quotas (which may be used in conjunction with reserved seats or voluntary party quotas), 36 countries and territories/special areas use the system of reserved seats (few of which also use legislated candidate quotas as well) and in 37 countries and territories at least one political party represented in parliament uses a voluntary party quota (countries with both, legislated candidate quotas for national legislatures and voluntary party quotas are excluded from this number). Please see Annex A for a full list of countries in these three categories. The lists presented there include countries with legislated candidate quotas, reserved seats and voluntary party quotas for the composition of lower or upper houses or both, and/or sub-national elected bodies.”

Rita Chemaly

For a list of all related articles in different languages:

• Femmes en Politique au Liban une honte en 2014  https://ritachemaly.wordpress.com/2014/07/17/femmes-en-politique-au-liban-une-honte-en-2014/
• Cartogtraphie des discriminations qui atteignent les femmes au Liban: https://ritachemaly.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/droits-des-femmes-au-liban-2012-rita-chemaly-auteur-et-chercheure1.jpg
• 8 mars #womensday … et au #Liban les discriminations qui atteignent les femmes sont encore nombreuses! https://ritachemaly.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/8-mars-womensday-et-au-liban-les-discriminations-qui-atteignent-les-femmes-sont-encore-nombreuses/
• Breakthrough for women political participation in Saudi Arabia versus Lebanese women struggling for their basics rights https://ritachemaly.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/breakthrough-for-women-political-participation-in-saudi-arabia-versus-lebanese-women-struggling-for-their-basics-rights/ 
• Les femmes au parlement…. Au Liban 4 femmes sont des representantes du peuple depuis 2009 https://ritachemaly.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/les-femmes-au-parlement-au-liban-4-femmes-sont-des-representantes-du-peuple-depuis-2009/
• Les Libanaises au Pouvoir et leur participation effective aux processus de prises de décisions…les Droits civils et politiques dans l’attente d’un quota ? https://ritachemaly.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/droit-des-femmes-libanaises-rita-chemaly-participation-politique-quota-et-decision.pdf
• The list with the names of the Women Candidates for the 2013 Lebanese parliamentarian  elections 43 … https://ritachemaly.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/women-candidates-for-the-2013-lebanese-elections-43/

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Call For Papers: Rethinking Intersections: A MENA-centered Definition of Gender and Sexuality

Appel à papiers

English | French

Appel à papiers: Reconsidérer les Intersections: une Définition du Genre et de la Sexualité Centrée sur la région MENA

L’une des rares revues académiques sur le genre et la sexualité basées dans la région MENA, Kohl: la Revue de Recherche sur le Corps et le Genre a vu le jour en Décembre 2014. Nous sommes heureux de vous inviter à envoyer vos articles pour le premier numéro de Kohl, dont la publication est prévue pour mai 2015. Nous encourageons particulièrement les jeunes activistes, chercheurs indépendants, étudiants diplômés, ainsi que les nouveaux diplômés à postuler. Nous accueillons volontiers tout article venant de la part de contributeurs influents dans le domaine.

Cliquez ici pour envoyer votre article à travers le système de gestion éditoriale de Kohl.

Cliquez ici pour consulter nos directives de soumission.

La région du Moyen-Orient, du Sud-Ouest d’Asie et de l’Afrique du Nord a connu des insertions historiques d’influences occidentales et coloniales, et les domaines du genre et de la sexualité n’ont pas fait exception à ces dynamiques de pouvoir. En même temps, aspirer à un discours d’authenticité et opter pour un retour à un état précolonial ne joue pas en faveur des discours contemporains autour du genre et de la sexualité. Cette genèse récente des mouvements féministes et de la sexualité exprime la nécessité de redéfinir ces concepts vis-à-vis des contextes politiques et culturels actuels de la région MENA. Nous nous intéressons aux  articles qui historicisent ces mouvements et les mettent ainsi en contexte pour en définir les défis.

Un numéro introductif sur le genre et la sexualité dans la région MENA ne peut ne pas prendre en considération les fluctuations contemporaines des paysages géopolitiques. Que ces dernières aient entravé le travail des mouvements de base, ou simplement mené à des stratégies d’adaptabilité au changement, les politiques de sexualité alternent constamment entre l’ouverture et la fermeture des espaces privés et publics. Le déplacement et la mobilité à travers les frontières, au sein et au-delà de la région MENA, évoque la fluidité des espaces, en particulier en ce qui concerne les réfugiés, les demandeurs d’asile et les migrants.
Il reste à savoir si réinventer un noyau pour le genre et la sexualité au sein de foyers temporaires comme outil à la résistance ou à la survie répond à son propre contexte ou à un discours universalisé sur les droits humains.

Les sujets possibles incluent, sans se limiter à :

• Redéfinir les termes et les concepts concernant l’identité, le genre et la sexualité
• Contrer les manifestations orientalistes et les influences occidentales perçues auprès des mouvements de base de la région MENA, accompagné de stratégies de mise en contexte, et ce pour l’avancement et le développement du genre et de la sexualité
• Mouvements des droits des femmes et droits sexuels : les défis sociaux, culturels et légaux pour l’organisation et l’adaptabilité au changement
• Déplacement de l’idée de la ‘visibilité’ d’un spectre linéaire d’individualisme en faveur des « visibilités ambiguës »
• La politisation et la dépolitisation de la sexualité dans une notion de décalage d’états-nations
• L’interaction entre espaces privés et publics dans les questions de genre et sexualité dans la région MENA
• La mobilité et le déplacement à travers les frontières et l’évolution des paysages géopolitiques concernant les réfugiés, les migrants, les demandeurs d’asile, et les cultures des pays hôtes
• Les théories de l’intersection dans les efforts régionaux et les rencontres spécifiques

Le 1er Mars 2015 est la date limite pour l’envoi des articles.

Notre journal reçoit les travaux en cours, à condition qu’une version complète soit soumise. Veuillez respecter nos directives de soumission. Au cas où votre article a été retenu pour publication, sachez que notre équipe le traduira en une autre langue.

Pour plus d’informations, contactez kohl@gsrc-mena.org

Cet appel à papiers est disponible en version PDF

Kohl: la Revue de la Recherche sur le Corps et le Genre, est une initiative du Centre des Ressources du Genre et la Sexualité (GSRC) en coopération avec le bureau du Moyen Orient de l’association Heinrich Boell Stiftung.

Below is the call for papers in english

Call For Papers: Rethinking Intersections: A MENA-centered Definition of Gender and Sexuality

One of the few academic journals on gender and sexuality based in the MENA region, Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research saw the light in December 2014. We are pleased to invite submissions for Kohl’s first issue, slated for publication in May 2015. Young activists, independent researchers, graduate students and fresh graduates are particularly encouraged to apply. We also welcome submissions from seminal contributors in the field.

Click here to submit a manuscript through the Kohl editorial manager system.

Click here to review our submission guidelines.

The Middle East, South West Asia and North Africa region has witnessed historical interpolations of Western and colonial influences, and the fields of gender and sexuality were not exempt from these dynamics of power. At the same time, purporting to a discourse of authenticity and pushing for a return to a pre-colonial status, remain unfavorable to the contemporary discourses of gender and sexuality. The recent rise of feminist and sexuality movements expresses the need to redefine these concepts in light of the current political and cultural contexts of the MENA. We are interested in papers that historicize these movements and that contextualize their challenges.

An introductory issue on gender and sexuality in the MENA region cannot disregard the contemporary fluctuations of geopolitical landscapes. Whether these have put a strain on grassroots movements, or have induced strategies of adaptability to change, sexuality politics is constantly pushed in and out of private and public spaces. Mobility across borders, within and beyond the MENA, evokes the fluidity of spaces, especially in relation to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. It remains unclear whether reinventing loci of gender and sexuality in temporary homes as a tool for resistance or survival responds to its own intersectional context or to a universalized discourse on human rights.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Redefining the terms and concepts around identity, gender, and sexuality
• Counteracting Orientalist manifestations and influences in the MENA grassroots movements with contextualized strategies for the advancement of gender and sexuality
• Women’s and sexual rights movements: social, cultural, and legal challenges to organize and adaptability to change
• Displacing the idea of individualistic “visibility” in favor of “ambiguous visibilities”*
• Politicizing and depoliticizing sexuality within a shifting notion of nation-states
• The interplay of private and public spaces in questions of gender and sexuality in the MENA
• Mobility across borders and changing geopolitical landscapes in relation to refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, and host cultures
• Theories of intersectionality in regional efforts and in specific encounters

The deadline for submission is March 8, 2015.

We accept work in progress, provided full drafts are submitted. Please make sure to comply with the submission guidelines. If accepted for inclusion, please note that your paper will be translated to a second language by our team.

For further queries, please contact kohl@gsrc-mena.org

The call is available for download in PDF format.

Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research كحل: مجلة لأبحاث الجسد و الجندر is an initiative of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) in cooperation with Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Middle East Office, Beirut.

*This term was borrowed from “Framing Visibility: Coming Out and the International Spectrum of Visibility,” an article by Lynn.

More details http://gsrc-mena.org/kohl/submission-guidelines/

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