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#Undress522 is Finally Naked!

17 August 2017

Up until yesterday, a law in Lebanon exonerated the rapist if he marries his victim (Article 522 of the penal code). Although the law was kept from the public eye, it was still in effect and countless of tragic stories have been registered. Over only the timespan of 2010-2016, more than 2615 rapes have been recorded (Abaad, 2017). An alarming number, given that very few women actually come forward on such a taboo considered topic. Abaad, WILPF’s partner organisation in Lebanon, has been working hard and long to abolish the law which finally took place on Wednesday 16th of August by the parliament.

WILPF has been working with Abaad from early 2012 both to map women’s issues and concerns in relation to 1325 as well as to offer aid in leading national consultation process on Women, Peace and Security. This fruitful campaign of Abaad’s; shows once again that by challenging national laws, democratic changes can happen in the direction of more gender justice. This is much needed especially across the MENA region that is still fighting gravely outdated gender unequal laws.

After the abolishment, Abaad celebrated by the gathering of activists and feminists’ organisations in Beirut where Abaad stated: “After today, no rapists can escape punishment by marrying his victim”.

Caption: Abaad’s  video campaign #undress522 by Leo Burnette.

The campaign started early in December 2016, under the slogan of “A White Dress Doesn’t Cover the Rape”, and through the hashtag #undress522. It spread rapidly across social media at a national, regional and even on an international level. That pressured the government to assign a commission to study the law, who then drafted the amendment to abolish it and eventually required the parliament to ratify it

Wedding dresses displayed in April in Beirut by the Lebanese NGO Abaad to protest Article 522 in the Lebanese penal code that stipulates a rapist is absolved of his crime if he marries his victim. Credits: Hussein Mall/ NYtime

Abaad, alongside with other feminist organisations, organised street protests, a play on the topic as well as an installation of hanged wedding dresses in public areas. This opened the eyes of the Lebanese public on the issue and strengthened Abaad’s position.

At the international level, the campaign was a success and it was discussed extensively on various international journalism platforms such as NY times, CNN and BBC. Its hit is evidenced by receiving 5 prestigious Lions Awards in the Cannes Festival of Creativity, making it the most awarded MENA campaign this year.

Installation by Mireille Honein and Abaad Credits: Abaad

Congratulations to all the women and girls of Lebanon, here’s to this victory and many more to come for women’s rights movements in Lebanon and the whole region!

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Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.