Nearly five years after the adoption of Lebanon’s law criminalizing sexual harassment (Law No. 205/2020), MP Paula Yacoubian, in collaboration with the NGO Mouvement Social – Equality, has submitted a proposal to amend the law. The goal: clarify certain provisions, make it more effective, and tighten the penalties.

The new proposal comes in response to a changing social reality and the recurring cases of harassment in workplaces, universities, and public spaces—amid a widespread feeling among women of insecurity and the absence of real justice despite the existence of the law.

Sexual harassment in Lebanon remains a sensitive issue that victims find difficult to speak about. Women who file complaints often face harsh social stigma or even counteraccusations. Many prefer to stay silent, fearing for their reputation or livelihood, while others who choose to speak out are publicly attacked. For this reason, amending the law represents a crucial step toward encouraging reporting and ensuring fair and effective accountability.

Legal Background and Previous Attempts

The law criminalizing sexual harassment was passed in December 2020, after years of advocacy by feminist organizations and civil society. It defines harassment as any verbal, nonverbal, or physical behavior of a sexual nature that causes harm to the victim.

Despite its symbolic importance, the law faced criticism from the outset for the vagueness of some of its articles and for imposing penalties that do not always reflect the gravity of the harm inflicted. Moreover, the complaint mechanisms remain complex and lack the psychological and social support structures victims need.

Organizations such as KAFA (Enough Violence and Exploitation), Mousawat, and ABAAD have spent years documenting cases, organizing awareness campaigns, and encouraging women to report incidents. Yet the absence of effective enforcement has kept the problem largely in the shadows.

Expert Opinion: A Step Forward That Still Needs Activation

Gender expert Nadine Mourad told Al-Safa News that “the Lebanese law laid the legal foundation to combat harassment, but it has yet to provide a comprehensive protection system.”

She added: “What is needed today is not only tougher penalties, but also the creation of support mechanisms for victims within educational and professional institutions, and the training of judicial police and judges on how to handle such cases with sensitivity and fairness.”

Mourad believes Lebanon needs “a complementary law that obliges public and private institutions to adopt clear preventive policies and internal procedures to investigate complaints before they reach the courts.”

Comparative Perspective: Lessons from Other Countries

In many Western countries—such as France, Sweden, and Canada—anti-harassment frameworks go beyond punishing offenders. They include preventive policies and mandatory training for employees on professional conduct.

In France, for instance, companies that fail to take measures to prevent harassment in the workplace are subject to fines, while Sweden provides confidential hotlines and internal support units for victims.

In the Arab world, some countries have moved ahead of Lebanon with clearer and more comprehensive legislation. Tunisia, for example, adopted in 2017 a broad law against violence toward women that includes a detailed definition of harassment and immediate protection procedures. Morocco followed suit in 2018 by amending its penal code to criminalize harassment both in public and in the workplace.

Needed Reforms

Experts and activists today call for several key reforms:

- Unifying and expanding the legal definitions of harassment to cover all forms, including online and professional misconduct.

- Establishing victim-support units within ministries and major institutions.

- Launching national campaigns to shift social attitudes that justify silence or blame the victim.

- Integrating the concept of “gender safety” into school curricula to raise awareness from an early age.

- Ensuring judicial independence and speeding up court proceedings to protect victims from blackmail or social pressure.

Toward a Safer and Fairer Society

A law is only as strong as its enforcement. Combating harassment is not solely the responsibility of the state—it is a shared duty among institutions, society, the media, and education.

In a country like Lebanon, where social traditions still discourage speaking out about violations, updating the law and tightening its penalties is a vital step toward building an environment that upholds women’s dignity, does justice to victims, and deters perpetrators.