As every year, we address this occasion in Qarib Talk from the perspective of what it means for women in the Arab region. Since late 2023, the Arab region has been hit with successive crises, including the war in Gaza and Lebanon and the related developments in Iraq and Jordan.

These events have led to a decline in women’s rights. In fact, these developments have resulted in a setback in rights, with rising domestic violence rates and the suffering women continue to face in displacement and refugee camps. Not to mention Syria, where a regime that lasted for more than five decades has collapsed, leaving the future of the country shrouded in uncertainty.

These crises, including war and displacement, have imposed their priorities on the landscape, pushing issues such as gender equality and economic empowerment to the background.

This year, the United Nations has launched the slogan:
“For Every Woman and Girl: Rights, Equality, and Empowerment.”

This slogan encapsulates an action plan that needs to be implemented or followed up based on the work plans set since the Beijing Conference. The global women’s conference held in 1995, which was considered a turning point. However, several Arab countries have refused to sign its resolutions and, consequently, refuse to acknowledge women’s rights, equality, and empowerment.

While this slogan remains broad, the Middle East has its unique circumstances. The war that started in Gaza and spread to Lebanon, with Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, and Syria also affected, has shifted discussions about women’s rights in different directions. The challenges differ in each country due to war, displacement, destruction, and other factors, including Syria’s uncertain future and the political mobilization resulting from developments in Jordan and Iraq.

In Iraq, for example, we have witnessed confusion regarding child marriage and the personal status law, with amendments being made and then reversed. In Jordan, this phenomenon continues, particularly among refugees, especially those from Iraq and Syria, while income inequality and the lack of women in leadership positions persist in both countries.

Meanwhile, Palestinian women, whether in Gaza or the West Bank—suffer from displacement and forced migration, adding to the societal barriers that prevent them from obtaining their rights, particularly in economic participation, even at minimal levels. The war has negatively impacted the work of civil society organizations in empowering women and increasing their participation in political and economic life.

In Lebanon, deep-rooted gender discrimination exists through a personal status law based on religious legislation. There has also been a significant increase in domestic violence crimes, yet legal prosecution remains subject to mitigating circumstances.

All these issues and more will be discussed in Qarib Talk on Monday, March 10, at 4 PM UTC, 8 PM in Iraq and Jordan, 7 PM in Palestine and Lebanon.

Speakers:

• Hayat Mirshad, Editor-in-chief of “Sharika Wa Laken” platform, Executive Director of “FEMINEST” feminist organization in Lebanon
• Tala Al-Sharif, founder of Female Chimeras in Palestine
• Lina Chawaf  CEO/ Radio Rozana Syria 
• Marwa Abed, lawyer and activist from Iraq
• Noor Rodan, from Sadaa Podcast in Jordan

Speakers

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