Claiming Equal Citizenship

Organizing members of the Nationality campaign in Lebanon have been very busy over the last month advancing the campaign efforts through various media outlets, including an interview on Al Jazeera English and a new group started on Facebook, a fast-growing social networking site.

Lina Abou-Habib, Executive Director of Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTD-A) appeared on Al Jazeera English TV’s Everywoman program on August 3rd, 2007, to inform the public about the Nationality Campaign in Lebanon.

Ms. Abou-Habib spoke to the host, Shiulie Ghosh, about the ramifications of the discriminatory nationality laws against women who marry non-nationals in Lebanon and throughout the region. It is, in fact, the children who especially suffer as they are unable to receive any social benefits provided by the state. They are denied access to education, health services, employment and land ownership opportunities, and are denied the right to participate in politics because the state does not recognize them as citizens.

There is, however, a bright spot which Ms. Abou-Habib brought to viewers’ attention. The show congratulated Morocco for their recent success in amending legislation allowing women to pass on their nationality to their children. Morocco joins Algeria and Egypt as the three countries to effectively modify the laws and graduate to the next step of ensuring complete implementation of the legislation for all citizens.

With the aim of expanding the campaign’s outreach locally and abroad, the nationality team at CRTD-A, along with other interested individuals, started a group on FACEBOOK, a social networking site that connects people all over the globe. 253 members have joined the group for the purpose of either supporting the cause, and/or sharing ideas and experiences. With more than a dozen posts, Lebanese women and men from the diaspora are beginning to share their experiences and positions regarding these issues.

A small focus group was initiated as well where many interested individuals started a debate on how to expand the outreach of the campaign, especially with the Lebanese diaspora in the UAE and other countries.

Best of luck to the future efforts of women in Lebanon and around the world fighting for gender equality!

Entry Filed under: Countries, Lebanon, Activities, In the News