The National Federation of Workers and Employees Unions in Lebanon and the Mousawat – Warda Botros Association for Women’s Action, in collaboration with Sabeen Forum in the city of Sidon, organized an interactive workshop as part of the Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Project, within the broader campaign to combat violence against women.

The workshop opened with welcoming remarks emphasizing the importance of strengthening community awareness around women’s rights issues. This was followed by a dialogue session addressing key forms of legal discrimination against women in Lebanon.

Discussions focused on the country’s personal status laws governing marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance, and related matters. Participants highlighted that Lebanon does not adopt a unified civil personal status law. Instead, legislative authority—constitutionally entrusted to the Lebanese Parliament—has effectively been ceded to a system of fifteen sectarian laws, enacted and applied through religious courts specific to each community. This structure creates significant disparities among women based on sectarian affiliation and, in many instances, grants privileges to men at the expense of women.

The workshop featured a rich and interactive discussion involving legal experts, activists, women, and young participants from Sidon. Attendees exchanged experiences and shared real-life stories reflecting the hardships women face within religious court systems and the legal and social forms of violence they often endure.

Participants also presented reform experiences from Arab and regional countries that have made progress in reducing discrimination within personal status laws. These examples were seen as proof that change is possible when legislative will and social readiness—especially among women themselves—are present.

Sidon at the Forefront

Organizers underscored the significance of holding the workshop in Sidon, describing it not as an isolated event but as a message that the city is an essential part of the national struggle for justice and equality. Contributions from local figures demonstrated a strong commitment within the city to play a meaningful role in advancing legal and social reform.

Toward Continued Action and Expansion

The workshop concluded by affirming that the challenge is not only legal but also cultural. Reform begins with awareness and women’s belief in their rights, continues through civic and human rights advocacy, and ultimately leads to legislative change that safeguards human dignity and full equality between women and men.

The meeting closed with a call to sustain and expand such initiatives, positioning Sidon—through Sabeen Forum and its partners—as an active and supportive platform in the pursuit of a more just and equitable society for women.