Members of Arab parliaments met at UN House in Beirut from 27 to 29 July 2010 to discuss the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and how it could be better enforced. The event was organized with the support of the IPU, the Lebanese Parliament, UN-ESCWA and UNDP.
Parliamentarians, both men and women, discussed how to counter stereotyping and modify people’s mentalities in order to bring about change in the region in attitudes to women. Many called for the removal of discriminatory provisions from current legislation. More broadly, this means reforming the legislative framework, reviewing discriminatory provisions and drafting new ones. It also requires sensitization and inter-parliamentary diplomacy at the regional level.
Legislating on violence against women was seen as one of the most pressing priorities. To date, only one country in the region has passed a law on violence against women. Of particular interest was the issue of violence against women against the backdrop of civil strife and conflict - a phenomenon that in different ways affects the entire region.
Legislation, said the parliamentarians, should criminalize acts of violence against women in all settings and include measures to prevent violence, assist victims and rehabilitate perpetrators. It should also provide for national action plans, training and sensitization and for the necessary money to be allocated in the national budget. To help raise awareness of violence against women and trigger appropriate legislative responses, the participants agreed to launch a regional parliamentary campaign as a component of the IPU’s parliamentary campaign called Parliaments take action on violence against women.
The regional meeting was followed by a day of discussions with Lebanese parliamentarians and civil society representatives on the bill on domestic violence that is currently before the Lebanese Parliament.
