Never give up your right: a story of domestic violence, sexual abuse and daily struggle

Today is international women’s day. It’s 4 in the morning and I can’t sleep. Ironic. I was born at 4 o’clock in the morning. I was born a girl. If I only knew then what I was going to go through in my life, I would have wished myself not to be born at all. […]

Rise

Many women have been exposed to cruel mistreatment from family members and partners in life. Women who are exposed to domestic violence often experience physical, mental or spiritual traumas that can be worsen if they are not addressed. Furthermore it is common for women in an abusive relationship not to recall many aspects of their […]

Why do Men Fear Women?

This is not a philosophy question. I am just sharing my story while hoping others will answer the question ‘Why do Men Fear Women?’ based on their own experiences. I have been working for quite some time in the Arab world, between Lebanon, Syria (before the war) and the United Arab Emirates. Different companies, different […]

The Skinny, the Average, and the Curvy: Confessions of Bullied Bodies

By: Sana Kamal and Mirna Alsharif The Women and Gender in the Middle East class at the American University in Dubai (AUD) held a workshop on women’s bodies. The workshop explored the societal standards that women are urged to adopt when it comes to their bodies. Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Professor of women and gender studies […]

Looking for Love ladies? Love yourselves first…

“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit” (Khalil Gibran) Women in the Arab world are usually rushed into arranged marriage, forbidden to love and be loved; or soaked in the culture of prince charming who will rescue the princess and live with her happily ever after, only to wake up from […]

REPORT: Lebanon ranks 16 out of 22 as best Arab State for Women

a�?According to a Thomson Reuteurs poll for best Arab state for women, Lebanon ranked 16 out 22. The surprise is that the low ranking was due to legislation which is not favorable towards women in Lebanon.a�? A�If we recap the last few years, we realize how much we are stuck in our place. What happened […]

What is Obscenity?

I am sharing a message i received this morning without mentioning its source: “Isn’t it obscene to talk about sexuality, i mean mentioning and studying words like ‘vagina’ and ‘phallus’? Do you really need to do it, you feminists? Can’t you just talk about beauty, kids, cooking and shopping like other normal women would do?” […]

"Weak, undependable, defective and inferiors" ? More than enough!

I have been a girl that lived in a conservative society for my whole life. Thank god, to a point my parents were a bit loose. But that doesn’t mean I have not seen what a cruel moral and physical treatment a woman receives. So next, I’m  not going to talk about women’s right in […]

Women's Rights are Human Rights

I have always been close-mouthed when someone asks me “What do you think about women’s rights in Lebanon?” Shouldn’t we have human rights before thinking about those of women’s? It is true that women’s rights are somehow worse than men’s, but they are not THAT worse.  Whether it is a girl, woman, boy, man or […]

I’m a Lebanese woman whose rights are taken away from her and a woman that is treated as an inferior human being compared to men

People always ask me about the way I see myself, how I can describe myself and what do I look forward to in the future. Well to sum it all up, I’m a Lebanese woman whose rights are taken away from her and a woman that is treated as an inferior human being compared to […]