Lebanon

Launch of CD-Rom "Promoting the Rights of Children and Women in the Arab Region through Information"

The United Nations Development Programme / Information and Communication Technology for Development in Arab Region ICTDAR and the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women organized a conference to launch a CD on women’s rights under the project “Promoting the Rights of Children and Women in the Arab Region through Information” on Tuesday 8th of February 2005 at the UN House.

The project aims at providing women and children in difficult circumstances with the information necessary to obtain financial and legal support from the government, social service institutions or their separated spouses. The project will help empower women to address and resolve issues related to family law, including child support payments, marriage and divorce, labor, adoption and custody.

The project has two primary target groups: civil society and women.

The CD-Rom contains a digitized copy of all main acts, laws and decrees related to family law, alongside answers to frequently asked questions, and the text of major relevant international conventions.

Dr. Mona Hammam, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Mrs. Najat Rochdi, Regional Coordinator for ICTDAR / UNDP, and Zoya Rohana, Coordinator for Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women, delivered speeches on this occasion.

The objectives of the project include:
1. To deliver to social workers in local communities and to women support centers rights-related information, so that they will be able to advise women on the most appropriate way to resolve legal issues and/or to obtain financial support.
2. To assist the judicial system to process and monitor child support information by computerizing the domestic court’s payment system. Each woman who is eligible for child support will have a personal account which will receive remittances made on her behalf by the spouse or by the government.
3. To train the personnel which will deliver the information as in point 1) and run the pertinent services in the domestic court system as in point 2) in the basic operation of computer-based information systems.

UNDP directs the project through ICTDAR that is responsible for providing substantive guidance, technical and managerial advice. In each country where the project is active there will be a national project coordinator and a national support staff. The project will rely on partnerships with CSOs, research institutions and consultants for the implementation of a substantial share of its activities.