It all started on October 17, 2019. The Lebanese population woke up from the dream of believing that the official government is working for a better future. The people took to the streets to protest against the government since the majority of them lost their jobs, families, youth, and stability from several disasters that hit the country. It began with the fires that broke out in the Mount Lebanon region, the political and economic crisis, the management of the COVID-19 outbreak, and concluded with the Beirut explosion. The root cause is the corruption that has manifested in the government for over thirty years. Although the effect of corruption on disaster response affects all members, gender roles and stereotypes have played a role in affecting the vulnerable individuals in society, women more than men. Through unemployment, financial dependency, and the difficulty of receiving treatment from healthcare centers, women are discriminated against.
To begin with, women were discriminated against in employment opportunities, which resulted in them becoming financially dependent. For instance, when the economic crisis started to occur in the country, women were the first to get laid off, or were given half salaries. According to the UN Women, women’s unemployment rate rose from 14.3 percent in 2017 to 26 percent in 2020 (Salti and Mezher, 2020). From this, the cost of living became too expensive for them, as they could no longer afford it. It is reported by the UN Women (2021) that about 53 percent of the Lebanese women who called the Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) hotline were demanding assistance in cash and support to meet their basic needs, and about 11 percent were requesting shelters. Moreover, women were forced to depend on men for survival and financial support (Salti and Mezher, 2020). This may undermine their status and control in the community by being pushed into achieving the typical stereotypes of the patriarchal society by becoming housewives. Therefore, one question comes to mind: How has the government assisted in all this? Disregarding the fact that the government’s corruption was the main factor affecting women’s employment status, they took no action to deal with this situation and support the women after it occurred.
Moreover, during the global pandemic and later the Beirut blast, women received little access to healthcare facilities since there were no preparedness plans made to support women during these situations. About 45% of the households with pregnant or lactating women reported their need to receive treatment from gynecologists, breastfeeding support, and vaccine injections (UN Women, 2020a). Additionally, the number of women who received treatment from reproductive health services at MoPH primary healthcare centers decreased by 45% between March and May 2020, compared to the same period in 2019 (UN Women, 2020b). During situations such as these, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that the demand for bribes may increase due to the need to access healthcare centers (Cobucci, n.d.). This is further enhanced in the upcoming 2022 elections, where the political parties try to use the vaccinations as a method to launch their campaigns by leading the communities to believe that they will end the pandemic (Ramadan, 2021). This may make the vulnerable individuals, the women, attractive targets to bribe for votes as an excuse to relieve them from the hardships they are facing.
To conclude, women in Lebanon are highly affected by their unemployment, financial dependency, lack of support, and difficulty in receiving treatment from healthcare centers due to the significant level of corruption taking place. The solution lies in changing the government leading the people and implementing different response plans that would support women during times of disaster. This becomes vitally important in order to implement an equal, well-rounded society.
References
Cobucci, A. (n.d.). Corruption and gender: Women and men affected differently by corruption—But no evidence women or men are less corruptible. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.unodc.org/lpo-brazil/en/frontpage/2019/12/corruption-and-gender_-women-and-men-affected-differently-by-corruption–but-no-evidence-women-or-men-are-less-corruptible.html
Ramadan, T. (2021, April 12). In Lebanon, even vaccine distribution can’t escape political bribery. The New Arab. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2021/4/12/in-lebanon-even-vaccine-distribution-cant-escape-political-bribery
Salti, N., & Mezher, N. (2020, September). Women on the verge of an economic breakdown: Addressing the differential impacts of the economic crisis on women in Lebanon. UN Women. Retrieved 2021, from https://arabstates.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20Arab%20States/Attachments/Publications/2020/10/Lebanons%20Economic%20Report%20Updated%201110%20FH.pdf
UN Women. (2021, February). Gendered implications of the 2021 nationwide total lockdown. UN Women. Retrieved 2021, from https://arabstates.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20Arab%20States/Attachments/Publications/2021/02/Gender%20Alert%20on%20COVIDLebanon%20Issue%205%20FINAL.pdf
UN Women. (2020a, August). Emerging gender analysis: Gender findings from the multi-partner multi-sectoral needs assessment (MSNA) of the Beirut explosion. UN Women. Retrieved 2021, from
UN Women. (2020b, July). Gender Alert on Covid-19 Lebanon: In Focus: Women, Gender Equality and Health. Retrieved 2021, from https://lebanon.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Gender%20Alert%204%20on%20Covid%20Lebanon_English-025715.pdf
Edited & Copy Edited by Fatima Nazar
