Laila Awada, one of the lawyers of the KAFA (Enough) Violence & Exploitation in Lebanon, evaluated Lebanon’s Sexual Harassment Law for our news agency.

CAROLIN BAZZI

Beirut – Laila Awada, one of the lawyers of the KAFA (Enough) Violence & Exploitation in Lebanon commented on new Lebanon’s Sexual Harassment Law, “We should discuss the law with its pros and cons,” Laila Awada said. The new law addresses sexual harassment solely as a crime. Commenting on this, Laila Awada stated that there is confusion among the terms of “harassment, sexual assault, and rape” in the law but all these terms are different terms. “These terms should actually be considered in the category of sexual assault and different punishments should be implemented.”

“All unwanted sexual contacts are sexual assault”

Laila Awada is both a lawyer and woman so she closely follows everything about women. She and the members of the KAFA have prepared videos and images to raise awareness about the new law and the terms in the law. “All unwanted sexual contacts are sexual assault, even a small contact. Women should have awareness of this issue and they should educate their children on this basis. The authorized institutions should also evaluate this in this way,” she said.

“We already applied to demand changes in the law”

Stating that the factors threatening the safety of the victims haven’t been observed in the new law, Laila Awada said, “We applied to demand changes in the law, particularly in the criminal defamation section because the application of the victims could be evaluated in this section. But now it has been changed.”

“We have thought about how to prove harassment”

 Laila Awada talked about the adoption process of the law and she said;

“Even though it was a late step, having this law now is a positive step to define and criminalize harassment. We think the reason for the delay is the discussions about how to prove harassment. This law is a deterrent for perpetrators. But we cannot prove every crime. For instance, a theft victim files a criminal complaint but she/he cannot prove that she/he is a theft victim. The laws are locked here. They ask how a victim can prove harassment. There are laws, investigations, and police, they can prove every crime. We have thought about how to prove harassment.”

On December 21, 2020, Lebanon passed the “Law to Criminalize Sexual Harassment and [for] Rehabilitation of Its Victims.” The law is advance by making sexual harassment a crime and outlining whistleblower protections. Many women’s organizations and activists criticize the law for not including details about harassment, sexual assault, rape, and misbehavior against women. “What is misbehavior? Misbehavior differs from person to person. These terms are social and legal. They should be clearly described. According to the law, harassment should be repeated and extraordinary. What is the meaning of extraordinary for judge, the victim, or society? These terms mean different and the perpetrators can use them.”

Sexual harassment in Lebanon

Laila Awada recalled a sexual harassment in Lebanon, “The perpetrator was a famous man and he sexually harassed many girls. The Public Prosecutor's Office carried out the investigation without listening to the claims of the girls. This is the first case after the enacting of the law. We are waiting to see how the judicial system will deal with this.”

“There is a social awareness against harassment”

Laila Awada underlined that women have announced that they were subjected to harassment on social media platforms instead of applying to a legal organ, “Women form social support. There is a social awareness against harassment.”

“We need punishment to deter people from committing crime”

The law punishes sexual harassment with up to a year in prison and fines of up to 10 times the minimum wage. In certain contexts, the prison time can be increased to up to four years. “Some think the law is positive law but strict, while others believe that the punishment is not proportionate to the crime. We believe that the law should always protect victims and be deterrent. We need punishment to deter people from committing a crime.”