Home OpinionLast word Fighting harassment at work in Lebanon


Fighting harassment at work in Lebanon

End the legal vacuum

by Karim Nammour

The need to adopt a legal framework to tackle harassment in the workplace in Lebanon has been garnering more space in the public debate during the last couple of months, especially after the success of the almost global #MeToo campaign. In fact, many in the labor sector—especially women and transgender persons, who are verbally or sexually harassed by a colleague or manger, once they gather enough courage to speak-out—often find themselves unable to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator. Instead, they are trapped in a disheartening legal vacuum given the absence of a proper legal framework to fight harassment on one hand and given existing rigid legal imperatives on the other that notably require the victim proves harassment actually occurred. Yes, allegations must be proven, and the alleged perpetrator remains “innocent until proven guilty,” social peace requires it. However, harassment is not assault, and its existence is often contingent on the victim’s perception of the facts. Therefore, an objective search for the truth is not necessarily compatible with fighting harassment, especially when power-dynamics and patriarchal culture are factored-in. It is precisely for this reason that there is a pressing need to adopt a comprehensive legal framework in the country.

Today, there are at least three different draft laws on sexual harassment that are being proposed in Lebanon. The first one was submitted to Parliament in 2017 by former MP Ghassan Moukheiber and was adopted for less than five minutes before being immediately retracted given the opposition of some MPs, who voiced fears the law would lead to blackmail and vengeful acts against employers. The second law was submitted during the mandate of Jean Oghassabian as Minister of State for Women’s Affairs and adopted by the Council of Ministers on March 8, 2017. In a previous critical review of both draft laws, I had pinpointed many of their problematic issues which may, in fact, counteract the goals they had set, mainly:

The Oghassabian draft law adopts a definition of harassment that recognizes vertical ascendant harassment (meaning that employers can allege being harassed by their employees and sue them on that basis). This recognition is not compatible with the type of hierarchical work-relationships that exist in Lebanon and was only noted in a few rare examples in comparative law within societies where work-relations are of a more cooperative nature. This can, in fact, lead employers to counter-sue employees who claim they are being harassed at work.

On the other hand, both draft laws use an affirmative phrasing in their definition of harassment, meaning that the victim must not only prove the facts but also the damage—such as psychological stress—incurred, which greatly limits the possibility of ever filing a lawsuit in that regard given the complexities of harassment cases in terms of proving damage.

Both draft laws also rely on criminal justice to resolve sexual harassment claims. This may have a deterrent effect on victims given the very public and repressive nature of criminal justice. The aim of legislators should not be limited to compensating victims, but should also ensure the sustainability of their jobs. In that regard a criminal lawsuit against the employer is problematic.

In 2012, I participated—along with various lawyers, researchers, feminist activists, judges, and union members—in writing a comprehensive draft law on sexual and moral harassment at the workplace and outside of it within the “Adventures of Salwa” project undertaken by Nasawiya, a feminist collective NGO. This draft law was written after months of research. Its definition of harassment reduces the burden of the proof on the victims, opens the option to resort to civil courts, safeguards jobs, and establishes an obligation on employers to protect their employees from harassment and find an internal mechanism of complaint and investigation to deal with harassment allegations. The draft law was submitted to the National Commission for Lebanese Women in 2018.

Meanwhile, given the legal vacuum that exists, there are certain loopholes victims of harassment can use in the Labor Code to file a complaint. Indeed article 75 of the Code states that an employee is entitled to quit their job and get paid “dismissal compensation” if the employer or their representative commits an act of violence against them. Since the early 1950s, Lebanese courts have interpreted such acts to include verbal acts of violence (harassment may be considered one of them). It is within that framework and given the current legal situation that we at the Legal Agenda have decided to draft a model defense specifically dedicated to victims of harassment at work. The model defense shall be published within the next couple of months and disseminated for free on our online platform legal-agenda.com.

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Karim Nammour

Karim is a lawyer, legal researcher, and activist. He joined the Legal Agenda in 2010 as a General Assembly member, contributing writer, and researcher, became a Board member in 2016, and served as the organization’s secretary from 2016 to 2018. Karim is specialized in civil and socioeconomic rights, particularly policies and rights related to people who use drugs, LGBTQI++ persons, labor and unions, Palestinian refugees, and housing and urban planning. He holds a law degree from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut.
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1 comment

Ed April 18, 2019 - 7:05 PM

“Yes, allegations must be proven, and the alleged perpetrator remains “innocent until proven guilty,” social peace requires it. However, harassment is not assault, and its existence is often contingent on the victim’s perception of the facts.”

The above sentence is true but you entirely contradicted yourself when you followed it by:

“Therefore, an objective search for the truth is not necessarily compatible with fighting harassment, especially when power-dynamics and patriarchal culture are factored-in. It is precisely for this reason that there is a pressing need to adopt a comprehensive legal framework in the country.”

How can you have an “objective” investigation based on “feelings” of harassment and how do you know it wont be abused further by plotters?

Bottom line is this, harassment at the work place, on the streets and everywhere else are entirely based on “feelings” and different perspectives that could be based on political motives, mal-intent, deception and the likes. I’m speaking of harassments such as: “The boss looked at me weird today” or “he looked at my legs when i was wearing a short skirt” or for men ” I was stared at by a gang while walking the streets” “I was insulted at the workplace on a daily basis” you know everyday life.

Women as well as men get harrased everyday by more reasons than you can count and in all kinds of ways. There is and should never be a law that could allow imprisonment, fines and punishment based on the “feelings” and “moral compasses” of individuals.

If your boss likes to flirt around women or men, then it is the obligation of that man or woman to either stand up for him or herself and let it beknown she or he wont have it to the person, or if they don’t like it to quit short of any physical violence by the employee or employer or physical threat or harm.

That is what societies should be based on, I stand by and will always standby the cake maker! You don’t like the fact he doesn’t want to sell you a cake, you go buy it from somewhere else, if no one in the world wants to sell you a cake, you MAKE one yourself or start a business of making one and work hard for it if you want it that much and reap the profit of others who want similar cakes, that’s how the free market works! If you sue the man for not wanting to sell you the cake and punish him in the 100’s of thousands of dollars and crash his job and life, then this is no fight for justice but the opposite, it will be using the system for self benefit and for deluded self righteous causes.

Furthermore I find it funny that in a country with no water, electricity, internet and highest rate of expenses vs income in the world, there are those wasting time in opening up such cases without looking how much damage the #metoo movement has caused the west to ordinary law abiding citizens as well as crashing companies and jobs and products.

It is a dangerous political move that could so easily be taken advantage of and manipulated by the perpetrators and accusers.

And as for you ladies you have equal laws in the country short on marital laws (and that’s a deeply religious problem integrated in the country), It has nothing to do with your business or career success, I know countless of successful women in Lebanon in all positions, just work hard and get there like everyone else instead of trying to look for easy shortcuts. You want to prove me wrong? Then name me any Law in the country that counters what I just said above in terms of equal rights to women when it comes to careers.

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