Parliament passes some amendments to the Law on domestic violence

Six years after the approval of Law 293/2014 to protect women and other family members from domestic violence, the House of Representatives today approved a series of amendments to this law that were proposed by the Ministry of Justice, Kafa and the National Commission of Lebanese Women in 2018, in order to ensure protection. Effective for the victim of domestic violence and their children, after verifying that there are gaps in some articles of the law based on the results of practical experience in its application by the interested judges.

The National Commission for Women’s Affairs welcomes the approval of some of these amendments and considers them a positive step towards greater protection for women victims of violence and their children. This step comes in light of the high rate of domestic violence crimes during the quarantine period imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and after the disturbing figures observed by the periodic monitoring process carried out by the National Authority in cooperation with the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces for the number of calls received on the complaint line in 1745. For complaints of domestic violence.

The commission also thanks all those who contributed to the approval of the amendments, starting with the Ministry of Justice and the organization “Kafa”, as well as the ten representatives of the different parliamentary blocs who approved the proposed amendments and presented them to Parliament. namely: Ibrahim Kanaan, Edi Abi Al-Lama, Estephan Douaihy, Paula Yaacoubian, Timor Jumblatt, Sami Al-Gamil, Shamil Roukoz, Michel Moussa, Nazih Najm and Nawaf Al-Mousawi.

Claudine Aoun, head of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, welcomed the adoption by the subcommittee of a notable number of proposed amendments to this law in 2018, but after her continued communication with the representatives, repeatedly stressed the need not to ignore some of these proposals in order to avoid any obstacle to activating the fight against violence. And protect victims of domestic violence and their children.

Among the most prominent amendments that were approved:

Including in the definition of domestic violence, criminal practices that take place “during or due to marital life.”

Including types of punishable violence, economic violence.

Increase the number of judges in charge of investigating and examining cases of domestic violence and ensuring that the victim knows their rights before the judiciary and their right to seek social assistance.

– The inclusion of the protection order issued in favor of the victim of domestic violence, his children under the age of 13, while the protection order did not cover only the victim’s children who are of legal custody age according to the provisions of the laws on personal status. As in the new law, any minor has the right to apply for a protection order without their guardian.

The establishment of a special account in the Ministry of Social Affairs to help victims of domestic violence, and the rehabilitation of aggressors is financed with state contributions, (for this a nominal allocation is foreseen in the annual budget of the Ministry of Social Affairs ), donations and funds resulting from the fines imposed by this law.

More severe penalties for perpetrators of domestic violence crimes.

The National Commission for Women’s Affairs and its partners had requested additional amendments that were not approved today by the Lebanese Parliament, including that Law 293/2014 includes crimes committed “during the marital relationship or after its dissolution”, for the abolition of the crime of adultery and for the protection decision to provisionally include all children The victim is a minor. The perpetrator of the violence was also required to undergo rehabilitation courses, and that stricter penalties be imposed on the perpetrators of the violence and that they violate protection orders issued in favor of the victims.