A study of 100 Lebanese women published by doctors at the American University of Beirut Medical Centre this year found that over two-thirds suffered verbal insult by their husbands, while 40 percent had been abused. According to KAFA, a Lebanese non-profit organization, of domestic violence accounts committed against women in Lebanon, 277 women report domestic violence montly. No law has been passed yet to criminalize this brutal practice.
In the past five years the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center has conducted trainings in 40 cities in 25 countries around the world. Hundreds of women & girls attended our trainings. From these, over 100 became Outreach & Education Ambassadors, Global Voices united to ending domestic violence and sexual assault against women. In 2014, will conduct a one day training program in Beirut, Lebanon to train 20 women & girls to become Global Voices Against Violence.
No law has been passed yet to criminalize domestic violence in Lebanon. Training women and girls creates a giant ripple effect. i.e. train one woman or girl can reach thousands as they take what they learned and present to their communities, lobby to enact violence against women laws, learn to organize for change and expand the knowledge of access to resources for victims. These trainings are free for attendees. $1,200 covers out of pocket expenses and materials.
The project serves 500 women per year empowering them to find alternatives to a life of violence so their children grow up in violence free homes with their self-esteem in tact with the hope of stopping the cycle of violence in future generations.By giving 20 women and girls Global Voice training, they can reach thousands and influence social change in Lebanon.
