Despite the progress made in recent decades toward equality amongst all, there is still much left to be desired. In Lebanon, one considers the general state of affairs to be rather well in terms of discharging gender discrimination, or perhaps more accurately, not as bad as other countries. Women in Lebanon are said to enjoy freedom of choice, to be autonomous of their bodies and lives, fully capable of being both socially and economically independent. However, is that actually the case?
While it is true that Lebanon’s treatment of women is far more positive than that of nations notorious for their injusticesand discrimination, this thinly veiled excuse falls apart when one considers the present rather than the past. After all, as a society, we are not aspiring to live in the past with only a few modifications, but to consistently move forward. Few women can experience the benefits of the latter, but even that is conditional. One’s class, sect, pedigree, and family name are all variables. All it takes is one single toe out of line, and suddenly a woman’s freedoms are revoked as though they are privileges rather than basic human rights.
When that occurs, the system is revealed for what it actually is. The foundation of a society does not merely rest on the shoulders of its members, but also on the laws that uphold it. Both must work in tandem to enforce real and systematic change– it is not enough if one is solely set in motion. If legislative measures are composed and inscribed, but not enforced, then they are rendered meaningless. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.”
On the other hand, if the majority of a society begins to believe in a certain idea, such as the fact that women deserve basic rights as any other person does, it might create a positive outlook on their situation. However, real change is still not afforded, as no protection is offered to those who become the exception to the rule. Even those that still comply with these unwritten laws still suffer as they are not granted the full opportunities and benefits inherently entitled. This is due to a number of factors, including nepotism, corruption, and racial and sexual discrimination.
This is the case in Lebanon. During 2017, law Article 522, also known as the law regarding marriage rape, was abolished. This abolishment prompted further consideration to be given to similar articles, prompting their own amendments. It is important to note that Lebanon was one of the original draftersof the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, being a signatoryand a ratifier since the document’s conception. Article 1 states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” yet that is not witnessed in the Lebanese society.
Domestic workers still suffer from the Kafala system, queer individuals from Article 534, immigrants and their descendants from systematic racism, and women from systematic sexism. It is written in the very constitution of the law that a woman may not pass her citizenship to her children, that she may be married at any age, and that, if she is a migrant worker, she is to hand over every individual freedom she possesses in exchange for shackles as there are no labor protection laws that include them. When a woman goes to court, she does so as a last resortbecause the laws will not protect her. Therefore, when it comes to issues of sexual assault, for example, ones that are intrinsically underreported due to a multitude of reasons (the shame upon the family, the general public’s disbelief andoffering the woman up as a scapegoat, the reputation amongst the courts of law putting the victim through hell and resolving nothing whilst she loses everything, etc.), it is even less likely for a victim of SA in Lebanon to speak out.
Even with several non-governmental organizations working to ensure that the implemented laws are enforced, Lebanon is especially unique in its recurrent issue of the blatant disregard for the constitution by its public administrators – the very same people who are meant to carry it out. All of these circumstances collectively impose a predicament nigh impossible to singularly solve. However, by positing this issue in a broader context, involving the country as a whole rather than the sole organizations and individuals fighting and suffering, it can create a movement of actual change. By displaying the real-life present and future repercussions that come from ignoring these issues, the people can be rallied enough to provoke the legislators into making alterations, similarly to how they abolished Article 522, but on a wider, national scale.
Lebanon indeed suffers from many issues, especially in this day and age, where it is undergoing economic collapse andpolitical turmoil. However, if sacrificing the importance of one for another is the only solution possible for any predicament, then that solution is only temporary.
Copy edited by Fatima Nazar
