Christian Waked

Beirut - KAFA was established in 2015, it aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women, and it aims is to achieve substantive gender equality, struggle for the protection of child victims of domestic and sexual violence, and also defends the rights of domestic workers.

The media coordinator of the Lebanese organization "Kafa", Zeina Al-Awar spoke about the organization's attempts to change discriminatory laws, and about the conditions of women in Lebanon in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic with our new agency.

 A public service ad was released by KAFA on January 18, 2021, the video shows a divorced woman demanding to obtain a registration statement for her children (civil status certificate), but the civil servant strongly refuses to fulfill her request without obtaining the consent of her husband.

 Where did you decide to shoot this public service ad?

 The idea was raised from expanding the concept of personal status among people because personal status is everything related to a person's life from birth to death.

We prepared this public service ad to show how the law on personal status is for women. Through the ad, we say that we demand an equal civil personal status law.

Our campaign includes a number of videos and public service announcements. We have prepared a video entitled "By Lebanese laws, women are second-class citizenship", and a song that was launched yesterday, on January 26th, called, "Live Civilization".

How is the situation of women and children in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic?

The situation in Lebanon is similar to other countries, as we have noticed a significant increase in reported cases of domestic violence since the lockdown was imposed in Lebanon in March 2020.

Is there coordination between Kafa and the Lebanese government to improve the conditions of women and children in Lebanon?

Of course, we consider that change and equality will not be achieved without coordinating with institutions. So, Kafa always works on projects in coordination with the Ministry of Justice, and the Internal Security Forces activating the application of the law to protect women and other family members from domestic violence. We also cooperate with the National Commission for Women’s Affairs to issue a hotline for reporting domestic violence (1745). Currently, there is a cooperation between the Ministry, the Commission, and Kafa to finalize the proposal for a comprehensive law to combat violence against women.

What are your thoughts about the law passed by the Lebanese Parliament against harassment, violence, and sexual crimes against women especially in the workplace?

This law is a positive step, but it is not sufficient, because it only criminalizes the perpetrators of the crime of sexual harassment, and it does not protect victims.

 The Ethiopian ambassador urged the Lebanese government to work to improve the rights of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, what do you think about that?

 It is true, and we recently worked with the Ministry of Labor on a unified work contract that complies with international standards in this field, but unfortunately, the implementation of this contract has been stopped by the State Council as a result of an appeal filed by the owners of the workers' recruitment offices.

How did the Lebanese people, especially men, react to the announcement released by "Kafa" called "The Story of People", which looks at the story of the development of Lebanese women over years?

The idea of shooting this video was raised from the participation of women in the revolution, and their ability to be present in all areas to demand their rights; their social, economic, political, and civil rights.

 It is natural that men having all powers today will not accept these videos, and we witness male resistance.

Did the Lebanese October 17 Revolution made any change in the conditions of women in Lebanon?

The Revolution on October 17 was a good occasion for women to demand their political, social, and economic rights, and approval of a unified personal status law.

 What are the future projects of "Kafa"?

 We will keep carrying out our campaign to have a unified personal status law, and we will strive to pass a comprehensive law to combat violence against women in Lebanon.

We will also complete our works on abolishing the sponsorship system and abolishing the Artist visa system in Lebanon.

What would you like to tell the readers through the NUJINHA women's news site?

Women's rights are always a priority regardless of our political, economic, and social problems, they are fundamental rights, and they should remain a priority at any time.