Family
law in Lebanon falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of religious
courts, meaning each sect dictates rules regarding marriage, divorce,
inheritance and custody. For Shiites, fathers automatically gain full
custody of boys aged 2-years-old. Mothers can keep their daughters until
they reach 7-years-old. The rally comes in light of a recent
decision by a judge to allow a mother, Rita Choucair, to see her
two-year-old son, Adam, three hours per week over differences with her
estranged husband, until a final decision is made on the matter. “Custody is a right that should be given to Rita and every mother,” a sign carried by a protester read.

Rita
was first granted 24-hour visits from her son on a weekly basis,
however, in light of the conflict with her ex-husband, the duration of
the visit was limited to three hours a week. Protecting Lebanese
Women campaign said on its Facebook page that the protest comes “in
solidarity with Rita and all mothers deprived of their children.” Among
the protesters was Fatima Hamzeh, a mother arrested in November for
refusing to give away the right of custody over her 4-year-old son, Ali. Hamzeh’s
apprehension sparked public backlash and a series of demonstrations
that ended when Speaker Nabih Berri interfered to mediate her release. In
Saturday’s protest, Ali was wearing T-shirt that read, “the world is a
mother,” an Arabic proverb stressing the importance of mothers to their
children. While most of the protesters came from Beirut and surrounding areas, a number arrived to the protest from south Lebanon. Many others chose to support the cause online. “Raising
the minimum age of custody and lobbying for updating the Shiite court
laws [in Lebanon] are humanitarian, social and national rights and
demands,” Imad Fadel, a Facebook user wrote on PLW’s page.