Is the New Lebanese Family Violence Law Enough?

Portrait of Roula with her mother sitting at the protest in Akkar on Sunday the 21st of July,2013.  Taken by Joey Ayoub

Portrait of Roula with her mother sitting at the protest in Akkar on Sunday the 21st of July,2013.
Taken by Joey Ayoub

A law to protect women against domestic violence was approved and amended in Lebanon by the Joint Parliamentary Committees to include all family members yesterday [July 23, 2013]. This comes a day after a protest was staged in Halba, Akkar, town of Roula Yaacoub, the 31-year old woman who was beaten to death by her husband a couple of weeks ago. The protest was merely one of many that have been occurring since 2008 calling for a complete law protecting women against domestic abuses of all kind.

Lebanese netizens were quick to voice their doubts which were mainly focused around the vagueness surrounding marital rape, lack of gender focus, accompaniment of children and sectarian law overruling this law.

Nadine Moawad, a well-known Lebanese feminist activist, was one of many who pointed out the flaws in the law:

But this is still seen as a first step towards a better law that would fully protect women in Lebanon. Ahmad Yassine, blogger at lobnene.com adds:

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