In Lebanon, it’s legal to marry a child

A powerful stunt by the NGO KAFA (enough) Violence and Exploitation denounces child marriage in Lebanon.

In Lebanon, the law is not the same for everyone. When it comes to marriage, for example, sectarian “Personal Status” laws take over. A Lebanese citizen’s “Personal Status” is linked to his or her religion and sect. And it’s different for each one (see charts below). In some cases, it’s legal for a man to marry a little girl as young as 9.

الأحوال الشخصية قاصرة
مشهد فيلم من بطولة قوانين الأحوال الشخصية#قانون_سنة_جِدّي_ما_في_يكون_جَدّي #كفى
Posted by KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation on Monday, November 30, 2015



“There is no common minimum age of marriage for girls and women across the country, writes Girls Not Brides on their website. Different religious communities have personal status laws that govern legal procedures on matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.”

In 1996, one of the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child for Lebanon states: “The Committee notes that despite the fact that the provisions of international treaties to which Lebanon is a party supersede domestic legislation, laws continue to exist which are inconsistent with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of other international treaties.”

In the video posted by KAFA on social media, the people's outraged reactions are genuine and show a growing discontent with these “Personal Status” laws.

Charts from KAFA's Facebook page.