Women’s mentoring schemes, in which at least 10% of female students participate
Beirut Arab University provides the necessary resources and schemes to women students at the University where they are underrepresented, through activities in different fields such as research, entrepreneurship and science BAU demonstrates the importance of women in all roles in Society, in addition to empowering the women of the University making them part of the activities and becoming protagonists of different events that allow them to explore and develop their abilities and skills.
The Human Rights Center at Beirut Arab University organized in collaboration with the European Union Delegation in Lebanon a seminar on “Women’s Rights: Challenges and Opportunities for Gender Equality in Lebanon”.
The event was attended by Prof. Dr. Amr Galal El Adawi, President of BAU, Mrs. Angelina Ekhorest, European Union Ambassador, Mrs. Ursula Fahringer, Austrian Ambassador to Lebanon, Deans of Faculties, Mr. Issam Houri, BAU Secretary General, Wakf El Bir and Ihsan’s Members of Board of Trustees, Directors of BAU Centers, BAU Administrators, and 250 students from various majors.
Prof. Dr. Amr Galal El Adawi reiterated in his word the role of BAU in supporting human rights, in particular women’s rights, through the Human Rights Center, as well as the establishment of a specialized Women’s Studies Diploma and a legal clinic where students – under the supervision of licensed lawyers – aid disadvantaged target groups to fight for their rights.
Mrs. Angelina Ekhorest, European Union Ambassador, addressed the students, reminding the audience that Lebanon is an important partner to the EU, not only in terms of dealing with the Syrian crisis, but also in terms of human rights.
This is manifest in the effectiveness of parliamentary elections and structural reforms in the economic and social sectors. Dr. Omar Houri, Director of the BAU Human Rights Center reviewed in his word the foundations of a woman’s right to grant her family her nationality in accordance with the Lebanese Constitution and the International Law.
He added that there are over 18000 Lebanese women married to foreigners in Lebanon. There are no accurate statistics as to the number of children in these marriages, but it is possible to imagine the amount prejudices these children and citizens are exposed to. Such discrimination impacts upon medical care, education, employment and other aspects of daily life.
Believing in the role played by distinctive and special women who are marked in the Lebanese Society, and embracing such women in the field of Researches and Leadership, the Dean of Health Sciences and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Beirut Arab University, Prof.
Rajaa Fakhoury and Prof. Hania Nakkash have been honored as women leaders in research in Lebanon in an event that took place in the Lebanese parliament, in the presence of Beirut Arab University President Prof. Amr Galal El-Adawi.
The event was organized by the National Initiative for the Centennial of Greater Lebanon, “Lebanon, the State of Knowledge” which is an initiative launched by Mrs. Bahia Hariri in remembrance of the declaration of the State of Greater Lebanon in September 1920.
The ceremony celebrated the efforts and achievements of Lebanese women in the field of education and highlighted the importance of their role in maintaining Lebanon as a “state of knowledge.” Thirty-one Lebanese women were honored in this event, which was under the patronage of the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, Nabih Berri.
Under the patronage of the office of the Minister of State for Women's Affairs, in partnership with the Embassy of Canada, and in collaboration with Beirut Arab University (BAU), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organized an awareness creation thematic panel on "Linkages between Family Planning and Women Empowerment”.
During this session, Minister Mr. Jean Oghassabian, Canada ambassador Ms. Emmanuelle Lamoureux, and Head of UNFPA office in Lebanon Ms. Asma Kurdahi emphasized the importance of the subject of discussion.
Dr. Issam Shaarani, principal investigator of the research conducted by a team of medical students from BAU, presented the key findings of the study funded by UNFPA on Family Planning Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Syrian Refugees.
Other discussions on the panel were mainly related to the transformative agenda of UNFPA in promoting access to family planning.
Congratulations to BAU students Nisrine Kammourieh at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Yasmine Wraya at the Faculty of Law and Political Science and Rawan Nashi at the Faculty of Architecture - Design & Built Environment on being selected by the US Embassy in Lebanon; through a highly competitive process; to participate in the “2021 Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) - Women's Leadership Program” at Saint Mary’s College.
BAU held a day of the NGO's sixth fair in which students, both men and women, took an active part in the event and also had the opportunity to do internships related to the SDGs [5].
The Department of Mass Communication at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Beirut Arab University, organized a seminar, entitled Enhancing Women’s Political Participation. The seminar hosted anchor Ms. Claudine Aoun, Mr. Majed Eddi Abi Allamaa, Mr. Elias Hankash and Ms. Lori Haitian. The attending students posed questions that were answered by the panel members, and subsequently discussed with the floor. The seminar closed with a set of recommendations towards the enhancement of women’s political participation.
For the tenth consecutive year, the Public Relations Administration at Beirut Arab University organized the Arabic Recitation Contest entitled “Arab Women between Constraints and Leadership”, under the patronage of HE Mr. Jean Oghassabian, the Minister of Women’s Affairs. The event was opened by Ms. Rima Chehab who welcomed the guests.
This was followed by a documentary on the topic of the competition. Then, Prof. Amr Galal El Adawi, President of BAU pointed out that the aim of the contest is not merely to advance Arabic as a language, but also to find out about what the youth have to say on issues relevant to the society. H.E. Mr. Oghassabian praised the competition, stating that the constraints and restrictions prevent women from exploring their potentials to the full within the constitutional organizations or the public sector.
Women are hardly ever given the full space to become an added value within these institutions. He also added that women have proven themselves in all the fields in life, ranging from engineering to medicine and informatics. However, the patriarchal society does not yet allow her to become a member of parliament, although she would be an important addition to its performance. It is not a matter of looks or image, but rather the country’s need to benefit from women.
This was followed by the 20 performances of students from the following universities: Lebanese American School, Jinan University, Notre Dame University, Antonine University, Holly Spirit of Kaslik University, American University of Beirut, Manar University, Islamic University of Lebanon, Balamand University, Lebanese University in addition to Beirut Arab University.
Each student’s performance was followed by a question from the jury which consisted of the Journalist Bassam Barrak, Journalist Dolly Ghanem and Journalist Neamat Azouri Oussi who came to their final scores in accordance with the competition rules.
Women’s Studies is the most recent instrument of consciousness raising. Personal lives have been affected, and the role of the university in the society has changed. In the span of a decade or so, this new discipline has transformed the concepts and tools of social sciences and humanities.
It is believed that long-term changes in society could be achieved through Women’s Studies programs and courses. Women’s Studies brings together a wide range of disciplines, including Sociology, Psychology, Mass Media, History, Literature, Health and Law.
The Women Studies program creates new opportunities for students to understand the experiences of women and to connect these experiences to those of other groups, both locally and globally.
BAU celebrated the International Day of Peace in order to promote peace and well-being as well as gender equality, women empowerment and avoid any type of discrimination in the academic community [9].
Under the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), Professor Marwan El Ghoch and womens students from the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (BAU) participated in COMs Exchange and Mentoring Programme, and visited the Centre of Obesity in Department of Medicine, at University of Rome “Tor Vergata” – Italy, from 28 January till the 1 February 2022.
Beirut Arab University participated in the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Francophonie Network of Women in Higher Education and Research (RESUFF)in France, the conference was attended by Prof. Rajaa Fakhoury the Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences and Official member of the RESUFF, Ms. Wafaa Beytamouni Director of President and Secretary General Office, and Ms. Lina Anouti Administrative Assistant of President and Secretary General Office.
This conference was organized by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, and brought together 90 participants from 10 regions of the world, to encourage women in Universities (students/staff) to take on responsibilities and set up training modules for them in order to overcome obstacles and have a better future.
A lecture about Depression and Women was delivered by Dr Hania Jarkas, Neurologist. It explains that depression is the most common psychiatric disorder worldwide. It is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Women suffer from depression twice more than men do.
Depression has severe bad impact on the patient quality of life and mortality. Women suffer from special types of depression such as: depression before menses, depression during pregnancy, postpartum depression, and depression related to menopause. Maternal depression has multiple harmful impacts on her pregnancy, and on the offspring from neonatal period till adolescence.
Physicians from different specialties should screen for depression. Treatment occurs through pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. The Lecture took place on Wednesday 22 March 2022 at Ali Rashed Hall, Main building, Beirut campus.
For the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women, the Human Rights Center at Beirut Arab University in collaboration with the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO (LNCU) and Internal Security Forces ISF organized a workshop on Friday 4th of December 2020 at the village of Khrab El Hayatt- Akkar within the framework of 16 days to raise awareness globally on the elimination of violence against women.
The workshop, was represented by Dr. Tala Zein from the Lebanese National commission for UNESCO, Ms. Salam Zahran from the Human Rights Center at Beirut Arab University, and Major Youssef El Dekweir from the Internal security forces. It targeted 25 participants mainly females, aimed at increasing public awareness on violence against women; building capacity and understanding main definitions and concepts in the framework of Women’s Rights; engaging youth in promoting women’s rights and contribution to fight discrimination within their society. In addition, participants were trained on entrepreneur skills in developing projects and business.
The transition into university life is usually coupled with a combination of stressors, which can have a negative impact on body image satisfaction, physical and mental wellbeing particularly among females. Body image is a multidimensional concept including psychological, social, and lifestyle factors. There is a scarcity of data concerning body image determinants among Lebanese university students. Therefore, the present study has been conducted aiming at investigating the prevalence of body image concern and its associated determinants among female university students.
In cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Lebanon, the Faculty of Human Sciences at Beirut Arab University organized a Discussion Panel entitled “Women in Politics:
Indonesia and Lebanon as a Model” in Beirut Campus with the participation of the Indonesian MP Ms. Lena Maryana Mukti, Lebanese MP Ms. Paula Yacoubian, and Faculty Dean Professor Mayssah El Nayal, Panel Presenter and Moderator. The panel was attended by BAU President Professor Amr Galal El-Adawi, faculty deans, BAU Secretary General Dr. Omar Houri, Indonesian Ambassador Ahmad Khazen Khamidi together with the embassy staff, Iraqi Ambassador Ali Al Amiri, Bangladesh Ambassador Abdulmutallab Sarkar, Ambassador of the State of Palestine represented by Mr. Maher Mishael, and representatives of women’s associations in Lebanon as well as a crowd of interested audience.
The panel started with the Lebanese and Indonesian Anthems followed by Professor El Nayal’s welcoming speech in which she pointed out that the participation of women in politics will have a significant impact as it will contribute to diffusing their capabilities and helping them achieve more gender equality.
“In a world that seeks peace, it is necessary to establish stronger democracies, and democracy is never achieved without utmost equality, which requires the full political participation of women,” El Nayal said. In his speech, the Indonesian Ambassador thanked BAU President for his contribution and for the panel.
He reviewed the developments of the Indonesian women in the political field and stressed that the role of women in Indonesia is an integral part of the history of the country as they participated in and contributed to fighting the colonists for independence. He also assured that, today, nothing prevents women from participating in the political life and that Islam guarantees them equal rights with men in assuming positions of power.
