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Lebanon's new Sexual Harassment Law lacks effective protection of victims in the workplace
Human rights groups including HRW, say that Lebanon new sexual harassment law does not the meet international standards, as the law addresses seual harrssement sloley as crime excluding prevention, labour law reforms, monitoring and civil remedies from its scope.
On 21 december 2020, the Lebanese Parliament adopted the landmark law criminalising sexual harassment and providing protections for whistleblowers. However, it falls short of the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention which provides for minimum obligations for governments on preventing and responding to violence and harassment at work as well as emphasizing prevention measures, including through mandatory workplace policies and training programs.
“Making sexual harassment a crime is an important step to condemn abusive behavior that has long been tolerated and normalized in Lebanon, but it’s not enough. Public information campaigns, mandatory requirements for employers to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, monitoring, and enforcement are all essential for tackling this serious issue that affects women’s personal and professional lives.”Nisha Varia, Women’s Rights Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch
“How will you keep going to your work if you filed a criminal complaint against your employer? Courts take three to four years. You may get compensation after, but you will probably have lost your job.”Karim Nammour, a lawyer from the rights watchdog Legal AgendaKarim Nammour, a lawyer from the Legal Agenda