Lebanon’s silent victims: domestic abuse

Lebanon despite its reputation as one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East still struggles with internal shakiness on the subject of Women’s Equality, while change is coming, for the untold number of spouses who suffer abuse, this article strives to tell their story

“Separately, neighbours told LBCI news on Monday they heard the couple fighting Sunday evening and even heard Roula scream for help. She was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to the Youssef Medical Center.” – Domestic Violence report

On July 7th, 2013 Roula Yaacoub was beaten to death by her husband Karam Bazi after a domestic dispute turned violent, all taking place in front of their 5 children. Since then Karam had been sent to trial and found not guilty of allegations against him. Roula is one of many domestic abuse cases which led tragically to the murder of a spouse at the hands of their husband To this day, no national survey exists to chart the number of abuse cases that occur within Lebanon.

While Lebanon can be lauded for its position as a highly liberalised country in comparison to its neighbours, as well as significant progress in improving the basic education and medical care available to its citizens, the issues arise from its founding as a secular state. The constitution demonstrates a social pluralism, dividing the country’s demographics depending on faith along with other ways. Article 9 of the Lebanese constitution illustrates this relativism:

“Guarantees that the personal status and religious interests of the population, to whatever religious sect they belong to shall be respected”

While allowing for greater social harmony via equal representation, it results in a pluralism of women’s rights in marriage. This leads to a religiously divided population, with whole neighbourhoods made up solidly of one faith with the mixture of them being rare:

“Growing up [as a girl in Lebanon] depends on where you live. I grew up in West Beirut, which is a predominantly Muslim area, and as a girl, I wasn’t harassed or anything, but I had to be mindful of what I wore, I couldn’t step out and play with neighbourhood kids…”

Speaking to Patil, a former resident of Lebanon shed light on the significant divides in the social makeup of the country; with different communities and faiths comes a variant of perspectives of the rights of women in marriage, progress for equality for women remains sedate, and with the majority of men not advocating for such, women are perceived as secondary to men.

The fear of reprisal, lack of resources and support have all been attributed to the significantly low number of reported cases of abuse amongst families in Lebanon, according to minister of labour and telecommunications, Charbel Nahas, who goes on to state that the perpetual and marital position of women as second class citizens makes any resolution to domestic violence a long term and difficult battle.

This position results in very real danger for untold numbers of women across the country of Lebanon:

“When we first got married, he started to slap me…Then he started to hit me with his empty vodka bottles… The night before I left for the last time, he beat me up so badly, I thought I was going to die” – Georgina (Al-Jazeera)

Domestic violence takes place, according to KAFA on a daily basis, with only a small percentage being reported and even less leading to prosecution. More than 2,600 cases of domestic violence are opened on average per year, with 25 between 2010 and 2013 leading to the murder of the victim. With no state sponsored campaign to provide a framework, it remains the work of groups like KAFA to educate, care for and prevent domestic violence cases.

In 2014, Lebanon had struck down legislation in an attempt to counter domestic abuse, creating a means by which an abused spouse may have their abuser arrested and charged. However, according to representatives of Human Rights Watch and KAFA, falls short in areas and narrowly defines abuse which would place women at continued risk of marital rape as well as violence from their spouse which falls outside of the law. Even with legislation in place, domestic violence persists with subsequent deaths of a spouse as a result being all too real and possible.

Since 2014, momentum for these desired amendments had not materialised until April 2017, when amendments were finally proposed and put forward to the Lebanese parliament in Beirut. These sought to grant the additional protections to women from domestic violence as well as protection for the wife before, during and after divorce. Laila Awada, a lawyer working for KAFA pressed for the protection of the spouse/divorcee and rights to the visitation of their children:

“The woman, with all that she represents of humanitarian and social values, deserves to be provided with full protection from all forms of violence” – Claudine Aoun Roukoz, chair of the National Commission for Lebanese Women

The progress for equality, as well as protection from abuse outwardly, demonstrates gradual inclines though sluggish, it is hoped by many women’s rights advocates as well as politicians within Lebanon that the progress attained will go on to progress further. But even with amendments to domestic violence, domestic murders still continue, demonstrating the slow and challenging road that still lies ahead in the battle for equality for women in Lebanon.