Protesters took to the streets of Beirut Saturday on International Women’s Day to demand better protection for women amid an uproar over husbands murdering their wives.

Artists perform as they hold up figures depicting the likeness of a couple during a sit-in in front of Beirut’s national museum against domestic violence against women, marking International Women’s Day March 8, 2014

 

An activist holds a banner during a march against domestic violence against women, marking International Women’s Day in Beirut March 8, 2014.

 

 

The march by some 4,000 women, men and children from the National Museum to the Palace of Justice, was led by mothers and other relatives of women they said had been the victims of domestic violence. The demonstration was organized by the NGO KAFA–Enough Violence and Exploitation and it called for the endorsement of a draft bill that protects women from domestic violence. The bill would set prison terms of up to 25 years with forced labor for men convicted of murdering a female relative.

 

The draft, which has languished after being approved by a parliamentary committee last year, would also create a specialized police agency to deal with abuse and permit women to seek civil damages in abuse cases. As marchers shouted "The people want the bill to be ratified", some carried posters reading "Break the silence", "We say no to abuse, do you?" and "Speak out. Stop domestic violence." [Link]