Despite a constitutional guarantee of “equality of rights and duties among all citizens without discrimination,” Lebanese laws treat men and women differently. The most famous imbalance is a 1925 law decreeing that only children born in Lebanon to Lebanese men are entitled to Lebanese nationality. Activist campaigns to amend the law have been unsuccessful and prospects for change any time soon remain remote. In 2017, Parliament amended the penal code to abolish an article that allowed a rapist to avoid criminal charges if he married his victim, however, the legislature chose to keep in place articles of the code allowing girls as young as nine to legally marry. Parliament also established a new cabinet portfolio—Minister of State for Women’s Affairs—although the choice of a man to lead this sparked mockery among Lebanese social media users. As of early December 2017, the minister had not offered any detailed reporting on his
Matt was Executive's Economics & Policy Editor and Real Estate Editor from May 2014 to November 2017. He began reporting in Lebanon in April 2007, and his coverage focused on oil and gas, public policy and human rights.
