In early 1914, a group of five women who called themselves the “granddaughters of Emir ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri” sent out invitations to prominent and young Arab feminists to attend the founding meeting of what would come to be known as the Awakening of the Young Arab Women Association. The association aimed to “help educate Arab […]
Launched by a group of young feminist activists, The Adventures of Salwa campaign was built around Salwa, a 2D animated character who uses her red bag to fight sexual harassment in different situations, but went beyond awareness raising videos to include discussion groups, research, protests and street actions, a sexual harassment help hotline, and a […]
During the January parliamentary sessions, Members of Parliament voted to pass “the draft law aiming to criminalize sexual harassment and racial discrimination” only to withdraw approval after a member complained stating “will every Whatsapp message allow for a sexual harassment complaint? If so, we are opening upon ourselves a door that will not shut”, as […]
Though there is no unified minimum marriage age for women, the minimum age at marriage according to different courts ranges between 14 and 17 years, given that religious courts oversee the application of personal status laws. However, if the girl who is to be married is younger than the minimum age for marriage at the […]
Civil society organisations fought to change Article 522 that allows a rapist to marry his victim(s) to evade prosecution. Among these initiatives is the “A white dress doesn’t cover the rape” campaign launched by Abaad (Dimensions) Resource Centre for Gender Equality. The campaign used repulsive billboards depicting women dressed in “bloodied and torn white bridal […]
May 1, 2016 –Domestic men and women workers, along with civil society organisations, marched on Labour Day in 2016 to raise the demands of ratifying the ILO convention no. 189 concerning the provision of decent working conditions for domestic workers, and to put an end to the violence against domestic workers in police stations. This […]
Women’s participation in the Popular Movement (al-Hirak) in Lebanon, as well as the mobilisation movement that took place in 2015 to demand a solution for the garbage crisis that plagued Beirut, culminated in the forming of the Feminist Bloc, a collective of activists and feminists who have seen women’s demands absent from political mobilisations. The […]
27 February 2011 – The Lebanese youth marched against the confessional system upon which Lebanon is based, since it is seen as a major impediment towards gender equality and full citizenship rights. In this mobilisation movement, the presence of women was significant, and they effectively participated in organisational efforts, using different protest tactics. For example, Nasawiya, […]
101 – A knowledge production platform – صوت النسوة website Sawt al-Niswa was founded as a non-partisan feminist network and platform for theorisation and knowledge production. The network includes feminist writers, activists, and artists whose work records, analyses, and reflects on the realities and experiences of women in the Arab region.
After the Feminist Collective fell apart, another feminist group, Nasawiya, was created with a focus on self-empowerment, “identity politics,” and mutual support. The grassroots collective was not linked to any political party or ideology but their stated values identified sexism as “deeply related to other social problems, such as classism, heterosexism, capitalism, racism, sectarianism”. Nasawiya […]
