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Prostitution in Lebanon
1. Abstract
accepted less and less. With this lack of acceptance comes the push of
such an industry underground. There are many key factors that play into
better suit the needs of the clientele. How much is the government really
doing about it? Or Medical officials? Or even NGO’s? This qualitative field
such a topic comes with great difficulty. Government officials are scared
and sex workers are scared for their safety. There is also a lack of
cases.
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2. Literature Review
trafficking. In doing so, they either find ways for the government to
better improve conditions and standards or try to find out more on the
attempts to prove that in fact the government is doing all it can do to try
and remedy the situation. The report shows that the government is trying
also shows that the Lebanese law is faulty. Even though Lebanon is a
Persons, Especially Women and Children, the law lacks a clear definition of
the terms prostitution and trafficking. The law also lacks a clear and
have taken it on themselves to try and figure out how people get involved
from different age groups: Nadine 16, Zeina 21, Rima 31 and the NGO
Worker, and Jaqueline 54. Each had her own story to tell. “At a glance,
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reveals the shocking details of the hard life she endured as a child. ‘I
didn’t choose to work as a prostitute,’ she said. ‘It’s just my luck in life.’
Explaining how she was raped at the age of nine by a neighbor, and
therefore ‘had nothing to lose’ when she accepted money for the first time
in exchange for sex with an older man, Nadine blamed her situation on her
work as a housemaid at the age of 12. Do you know how much I had to
one thing- your body! So I decided to ask for money in exchange for what
I was offering.’ Now in her fourth year of working in the sex trade, Nadine
talks about the abuses she suffered by men she has slept with. ‘I’ve been
beaten up, forced to have unprotected sex, thrown out in the middle of the
night without getting paid… but life goes on,’ she said. ‘I can’t go to the
authorities and file a complaint. What would I say? ‘I slept with this man
“Zeina, 21, said she was sold to a man for sex by her mother when
she was just nine-years-old. She has since continued to sell herself.
‘People are very judgmental, but at that age, if your own parents don’t
want you, how are you supposed to survive? Tell me if there is any other
way,’ she said.” “One of the last things that Rima, a 31-year-old
commercial sex worker, said to the staff at Beirut-based NGO Dar al- Amal
was that she wanted to be buried with her mother. Three days later, a
drug addict shot her six times in the shabby room in which she lived and
worked in the Sabra refugee camp on the city’s outskirts, according to Dar
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al-Amal staff. The women she had been talking to identified her body and
unknown.” “The man is like God - he can do anything, and beat a woman.
It’s also society - girls have to do what their fathers or husbands say,’ said
Jaqueline, 54, a former sex worker who regularly visits the centre for moral
support. Jaqueline said she married at 18 to escape life with an aunt who
wanted her to prostitute herself: ‘She said I must go out like her and sleep
with Gulf and Saudi men for money,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want to.’ Later,
her husband turned violent, eventually throwing her out but keeping their
boyfriend who took all the money I earned.’ One of her sons, she added,
now follows his father’s example and beats his own wife.”
3. Design
questions.
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4. Analysis
Introduction:
Since the dawn of time and the evolution of the world’s culture,
are at even high risk of abuse and exploitation than their older
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help traffickers dodge the law. Society is faced with a lack of equal
due to regional and civil conflict, high unemployment rate, lack of equal
(RoL).
within the judiciary, the law enforcement, and the civil society… [and]
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trying to research such a culturally taboo topic, and that is due to the “…
Historical Survey:
bartered them for sex” (Head). “Through most of history there were few
professions open for women, especially if they had little family support or
they lacked the education or class status to aspire to the few professions
example, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest epic in the world, the Harlot
that is paid to sleep with Enkidu and civilize him is actually a priestess of
given a dowry and a deed… then her father die[s], then her
brothers shall hold her field and garden, and give her corn, oil,
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prostitute, receives a gift from her father, and a deed in which it
pleases (Head).
social influence that was denied to nearly all non-prostitute women.” They
were never men- always women (Head). These women were “… admired
staffed with inexpensive pornai that all men, regardless of their income,
could afford to hire. These women “… set their seal on the fashions of
in the Old Testament… [and] seem[ed] to have had in view the transfer of
Roman period, they started to feel the wrath of persecution. The common
prostitute was treated with disdain. They were forced “… to dye [their]
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Christian Roman Empire, but tolerate; the Christian church pushed for
abstinence (CMAJ).
was done to try and bring it closer to the Christian Ideology. There was
found guilty of selling sexual favors were whipped 300 times and exiled…”
inspections of… brothels to ensure that other laws were not being broken”
prostitutes mix[ing] more freely than ever with the general population and
prostitution was “… licensed and regulated by the law, but by the 16th
violations of the prohibitory law.” She even enforced rules that prevented
“… the wearing of short dresses and… remove[d] all female servants from
with the law, and did not become center of criminal activity…” (Head).
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In Japan, a geisha “… occupies a position in society comparable to
(Head).
has been de-criminalized and regulated. Some believe that this would
better ensure the safety of the women who enter into this profession.
They also believe that by doing so, it would help decrease the other
human rights that many people tend to take for granted. It infringes on
their
right to health.”
right to be equal before the law anywhere is the world, and to a fair trial
while not being subjected to arbitrary arrest; right to privacy and respect
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reasonable working hours; right to participate in cultural life; and their
ratified by 96 other member states. The Protocol requires that the crime
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proceedings against offenders, in a manner not prejudicial to the rights of
psychological and social recovery…” for victims. The states must also “…
take into account the age, gender and special needs of victims… including
opportunities” (RoL).
Lebanese Law:
However, the components of this crime are visible in the law. Therefore,
under the law, there are no official victims, only ‘suspected victims’. The
creating Complaint Offices and General Directorate. NGO’s are also taking
than 21.” Article 12 allows brothels to exist “… providing that they are
owned by a woman over the age of 25.” However, article 7 limits the
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separated from all neighboring buildings.” While at the same time, article
that the act took place and that it is a criminal act; and if it is proven that
determined time. The court shall also rule that compensations shall be
someone other than his companion, by means of violence and threat into
sexual intercourse shall be sentenced with hard labour for 5 years at least,
years of age or any person who cannot resist due to a physical or mental
disorder or due to the trickery used against him if the sexual intercourse
temporary hard labour or jail according to the age of the aggressed, even
if the aggressor does not exercise any trick or violence or deceit and even
mental disorder.” This gives the husband the right to prostitute his wife.
Article 523 of the Penal Code states that “any person who is used to
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any person who earns his life or some of it, from the prostitution of others
“any person who seduces a women or a girl under the age of 18 into
These threats are also punishable under article 573 which dictates that
“any person who threatens another person with a felony punishable by the
capital punishment. Life in prison with hard labour or more than 15 years
prison from 1 to 3 years if the threats include the order to perform an act,
even if it is legal to refrain from performing it. If the threat with any of the
victim may take legal action before the examining magistrate in serious
crime or misdemeanor… The victim may as well join the public lawsuit
before the criminal court.” It must be noted that article 53 does not “…
establish that taking legal action is limited to one kind of victims not
taking into account the nationality or the type of damage… [however, it]
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proceedings according to a direct charge by which the victim has taken
his financial condition does not allow him or her to pay it if the offence is a
payment for the same reason.” Article 70 gives the general prosecutor
Security.”
Interviews:
Philippines, Sri Lanka, and from many more underdeveloped states all
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over the world. They are generally restricted by “… work permits and
conditions for entry… [which are] enforced on all foreign workers…” They
must “… respect the working hours of 22:00 until 5:00; remaining at their
hotel from 5:00 until 13:00, being allowed to leave the hotel daily from
national.” Those who have “… worked as [an] artist… [are] not permitted
different field until 12 months have elapsed since cessation of their artistic
immediately and she is deported.” Therefore, the victim very rarely gets
on an artist visa which stipulates that they are “… permitted [to enter]
seems to be a small one. Only about 60 cases are reported per year,
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The following interview was conducted with Dr. Joseph Hallit, a
doctor at World Medical Center (WMC) and a prison doctor. The interview
revealed that what these doctors do is check the health of the prisoners.
They check on three prisons a week. They have been doing so for a few
years now. They don’t get into their medical history, because then it raises
problems. They don’t practice preventive medicine; they deal with every
There are around 1,200 women from all backgrounds - Arabs, Africans,
and some Europeans. The number of men trafficked into Lebanon is more
than the women. Over the years, they have been catching less and less.
There do exist some cases that of prostitution. However, there aren’t that
money to pay for required ‘legal work’. According to what they know,
there is no abuse that goes on in prisons. The prisoners are able to make
one phone call when they first arrive. And they can send a message with
people who are released. The minimum sentence for an illegal is 1 month
plus a fine - he is not sure how much. If they are unable to pay, then they
stay in prison until their debt is paid off. Every night they spend in prison
is about 35,000 L.L. (about US $23.30) off their sentence. When their
sentence is put, they are then deported. Once, authorities put a group of
Egyptians on a boat and sent them back. If you want to work in Lebanon,
you need to have the proper permits. The government needs to crack
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The following interviews were conducted by Investor Relations
done and are not edited. “At a glance, Nadine is an innocent, 16 year-old-
girl, but a conversation with her soon reveals the shocking details of the
she said. ‘It’s just my luck in life.’ Explaining how she was raped at the
age of nine by a neighbor, and therefore ‘had nothing to lose’ when she
accepted money for the first time in exchange for sex with an older man,
Nadine blamed her situation on her family’s financial needs. ‘My parents
asked rhetorically. ‘All men want is one thing - your body! So I decided to
ask for money in exchange for what I was offering.’ Now in her fourth year
of working in the sex trade, Nadine talks about the abuses she suffered by
men she has slept with. ‘I’ve been beaten up, forced to have unprotected
sex, thrown out in the middle of the night without getting paid… but life
goes on,’ she said. ‘I can’t go to the authorities and file a complaint.
What would I say? ‘I slept with this man and he refused to pay me my
money’?’ said Nadine, refusing to say how much she usually charged
customers.”
said she was sold to a man for sex by her mother when she was just nine-
years-old. She has since continued to sell herself. ‘People are very
judgmental, but at that age, if your own parents don’t want you, how are
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you supposed to survive? Tell me if there is any other way,’ she said.”
“One of the last things that Rima, a 31-year-old commercial sex worker,
said to the staff at Beirut-based NGO Dar al- Amal was that she wanted to
be buried with her mother. Three days later, a drug addict shot her six
times in the shabby room in which she lived and worked in the Sabra
refugee camp on the city’s outskirts, according to Dar al-Amal staff. The
women she had been talking to identified her body and buried her the
is like God - he can do anything, and beat a woman. It’s also society - girls
former sex worker who regularly visits the centre for moral support.
Jaqueline said she married at 18 to escape life with an aunt who wanted
her to prostitute herself: ‘She said I must go out like her and sleep with
Gulf and Saudi men for money,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want to.’ Later, her
husband turned violent, eventually throwing her out but keeping their five
who took all the money I earned.’ One of her sons, she added, now follows
that [takes care of] with prostitutes. It has been operating since 1969-
destruction during the civil war. Now the organization also helps
prostitutes in prisons (Baabda, Tripoli, and Sin El Fil), especially those that
are at risk of being abused. We also work with minors in the Nabaa camps
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that are at risk of being abused. Most of the women that come and seek
young age, and are still being abused. It provides many different types of
discounted health care), HIV/AIDS testing (new free service for everyone),
psychological follow-up (to help them deal with abuse), atelier (work
is no shelter, but we are trying to raise funds to build one. There are very
cases a year, 30 of which are new, most of which were abused as minors.
The worst cases were 2 girls, aged 7-9, who were forced into labor and
then were raped by their employers. They managed to run away, and had
pimping them. They spent years getting abused over and over again. The
raising a family. Many of the women still stay in contact. A couple of girls
still come every day and help out. The least payment a girl would receive
are unsure of how much the escorts receive. And we are unsure of the
rate women charge in 5 star hotels. There are many problems in Lebanon
that fuel the issue. The legal system needs to be reformed, and the socio-
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economic system needs to also be reformed. The issue of poverty needs
Abou Chacra- for translational purposes, and to make the women feel
When I walked into Dar Al-Amal, a group of women were sitting in the
common room. They were discussing the issue of incest. They were
talking about a case that occurred not too long ago. A woman, living with
her adopted family in Australia (not knowing she was adopted), fell in love
with a man, who had similar features as she did. They decided to get
married. They went through with the engagement, and spent around
US$8,000 on the wedding. The bride invited a lady that would always
come and visit her family in Australia. Throughout their engagement, the
them for marriage. At the wedding the bride bumped into the lady- who
turned out to be the groom's mother. So the lady stopped the wedding.
She revealed to the man and woman that they are actually siblings. The
lady was the woman's biological mother. They went on to discuss that
wedlock, there is always a fear that the children they gave up for adoption
would fall in love with the children that they were able to keep.
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Amina is a 31 year old woman, who currently work as a house-
keeper for Dar Al-Amal. She was raped at the age of 17. “So at the age of
17, I left home. I had no job prospects and was frustrated. Having given
up my first child for adoption at the age of 18, I set out for a career as a
sex worker. I knew a girl that was a sex worker and she showed me the
way. The clients weren't that bad. They were good. The minimum I
US$13.30). When I would 'go out' with the customer, I would first not feel
anything. I would feel empty. After I 'went out' with them, I would hate
myself. Thank God I am out of it. And I never want to go back. The main
who is now 7years old. However, life is never easy. My husband died not
Thank God I have never been arrested. I knew some people that were
arrested. They were beaten by the police many times. I'm not sure how
long the sentence is, but I think it's about 6 months. This isn't the
Jamila is now 42 years old. “I was married off between the ages of
13 and 14, I'm not sure. I was 16 and a half when I had my son. I am now
who was an abusive man, had taken my child away from me when we got
divorced; and then he died shortly after. I started 'going out' (working as
a prostitute) at the age of 18. I chose this career so that I can gather
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enough money to bring my son back to me. I mostly worked in a 'super
night club'; where half my earnings from the club would go to the madam.
I was never pimped. I was able to choose my customers. The clients were
like this and like that. The clients from the bar were too scared of me to
rape me. But I was forced to do drugs and 'nasty' requests. If the clients
didn't want to use a condom, then I didn't have a choice and I was forced
to keep going. I have been 'gang banged' (group rape) by people outside
the club. The madam of the club was a very good woman to me. She
would always tell me that I didn't belong there. I still keep in contact with
Because some clients would never use condoms, I would always have
infections and was forced to abort on many occasions, which the help of a
area. Then with a sponge on a stick, I would scrub my uterus. I now know
that it is wrong. I would always have some much negative feelings- it's
stopped and arrested by the police, who abuse them. On occasions, the
police would force the woman to have sex with them before they take
them to jail. I have stopped working as a sex work when I was about 25
now have my son, who is now 25 years old. He now has a family of his
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I managed to secure and conduct an interview with an “Impresario”.
He first started out in this business three years ago as the floor manager
of his father’s Super Night Club, or cabaret, and is currently 24 years old.
Lebanon would mean that he “… must go through the local agencies for
legal purposes.”
girls. It is the number one rule when working in this business. If you have
sex with one of these women you automatically start losing money. First,
the woman you have sex with will consider herself to be more important
than the other women. She will start believing that she is the favorite and
will start causing problems in the club. Second, the other women will
become jealous of that woman, and they will start getting mad and
frustrated. They will start believing that they are not as favored. And
they too will start causing problems and it will become a big headache. So
it is better for everyone involved not to have sex with these women.”
there are different levels of positions. “There are club managers (or floor
regular staff. Only Moudeer el Malha and Assistant Moudeer el Malha have
girls. No one else is allowed.” He had worked his way up the ladder and is
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also employed in his father’s club as Moudeer el Malha. In this industry,
there also exist different classes of clubs. “There are the high class clubs
like Excalibur Super Night Club, and there are the rest of the clubs. In
Lebanon, bars are illegal but they are still around. The high class clubs
usually employ women that are in the model category. Their women are
usually sexier and much more expensive. Having sex with these women
would cost more than a US$500.” However, not all clubs can employ
women from this category. “It is the ‘Impresario’s’ job to find women for
these different clubs. Since the club owner doesn’t meet the women he
employs before they arrive to the country, and the women sponsored by
the ‘Impresario’, he is responsible for dealing with any problems that arise
deport her, he would be losing a lot of money. The club owner would also
be losing a lot of money because he is short one girl and waiting for a new
one to come from overseas would take too long. So the ‘Impresario’ would
try and switch the difficult woman with another woman - whom they also
same nationalities - and they would try to take business away from the
woman has a very loyal customer who happened to bring his friend along
with him to the club. [This] woman would recommend that the friend take
one of the other Moroccan women, even though she is ugly, and will talk
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badly about the Tunisian women, [for example,] so as not to take business
away from her [nationality] group. She will convince the man to pick the
Moroccan woman. And sometimes these groups get into fights. They
throw glasses and bottles at each other and get into fist fights. When
such fights occur we try not to get the police involved. If they do get
involved, [the women] could be deported and they could get black listed
from the country, and you would lose money and have to pay for her
ticket back. If a woman does get blacklisted, then she can’t come into
15 years if she is Moroccan. Moroccans are the ones that cause the most
problems. They are a poor race and they are always looking for trouble.
They are still in a very tribal mindset. The Tunisians are thieves. It is
known about them. A lot of times customers would come to the club
manager and complain that their phone was stolen, or their wallet was
stolen or $200 was stolen from their wallet when they were with a
Tunisian woman. There are also problems when a woman is out with a
customer, and the woman doesn’t ask for the money before having sex.
The customer can refuse to give the woman the money and there is
nothing that can be done about it. A lot of problems can happen here.
Only if the customer is a loyal customer should the woman be okay with
asking for the money afterwards. There are also problems with women
It’s normal. There are also drug problems but they don’t occur as often.
The Moroccan, Tunisian, and Ukrainian women like drugs. The Russian
and Romanian women not so much. It’s not always the case that the
customer forces the drugs on the women. A lot of times the women go up
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to the customers and ask them for drugs and try to buy drugs from them.
the two of them. We try and not get involved in this. A lot of times the
problems are due to jealousy. Women are usually jealous from the woman
that is most popular and they will start talking badly about her and will try
to cause problems for her. Usually the woman that is most popular is
more professional and she prefers not to get involved in these petty
games. Not many of the women are professional, only about 40% of them
are. The rest of the women try and get into this business to try and find
into this business because they are in a certain situation and need to raise
money. They work until they have enough money to go back home.
Mostly the Moroccan and Tunisia women get into this business to find a
husband. So these women that are here to find husbands tend to get very
jealous if they see someone they want but another woman is standing in
her way. There is a lot of negativity. There are also problems with if the
don’t accept anyone to call them “Sharmouta”. They will get into a fight
[over this]. But in general if you can solve problems without getting the
police involved it would be much better. But the police must always be
In this industry, the profits are great. “You can’t even imagine that
amount of profit one can make from this business. For example, [he]
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all alone. This woman is very strong and has a big reputation. This
woman doesn’t go out with many clients, [but] [s]he has, for example, 10
outside the club, unless it is her day off. So if one of the girls needs a
arrives, she gets tested for everything at Hotel Dieu, and every 3 months
she must get tested for pregnancy and diseases. Each test costs around
to renew the women’s papers (the women don’t need to go with him for
this- only when they get tested). And every 3 months when the woman
gets tested, she signs a new contract. Every month, it costs around
US$200 for visa renewal for every woman employed. Even though there
are a lot of profits to be made in this industry, but there are also a lot of
expenses.”
women are allowed in the country for 2 years. Not like the western
women that are only allowed in the country for 6 months. [However, if a]
man chooses to marry one of these women, the woman would have to
travel back to her home country and wait for the paper work to be done
before she can come back here. Now it is preferable that the Lebanese
men not marry these women, so the government makes it difficult for
them by making the process difficult. But in the end anything is doable- a
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little [money] from here and a little [money] from there… and everything
country that the woman was originally pregnant, then that woman is
thing that a [club] owner must do is continuously change the women that
work at the clubs. If the women are there [for] too long, the women will
start getting used to the customers and the customers will start losing
business[, b]ut this [leads to] smaller supplies. The strong clubs are
always the ones that change their supplies continuously and keep it fresh.
When the visas expire, and it is time for these women to have to
countries; but after working in Lebanon, they prefer not to. The system
that is in place in Lebanon is not like the other countries. In Lebanon, they
generally have more freedom to move around. The women are free to go
out from 1pm till 8pm. On her day off, the woman can choose to go with
her friends, go enjoy her time on her own, or even go see a client. In the
other countries, she can’t go out in the streets; if the officials catch her,
she could get in trouble. She [is not permitted a certain] time to go out. It
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does occur more often that the women come from Syria, for example, to
Lebanon.”
To open a Super Night club, a club owner would need to apply for a
US$30,000 for capital. The owner of the [club] would have to do the
papers personally. It doesn’t matter if the owner owns the actual land that
the club is on, or like our club, the owner only owns the club and leases
The owner would need to apply for a liquor license, and this license needs
statement from the Ministry of Finance for insurance on the women. For
than 100 women at once. But there are very few clubs like this. If any
problem arises- for example a war or there is a problem with the woman-
then the Ministry of Finance would withdraw the insurance money on the
woman and deport the woman. During the 2006 war, all the clubs lost a
lot of money from the insurance. But if no problem arises, the insurance
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money is returned to the owner once the visa is expired and the woman is
deported. For the insurance, the proper paper work would also need to be
capital available and the amount of women that are to be employed at the
expenses that are incurred. These include the bribes that go here-and-
there in order to get the paper work needed done as soon as possible. In
order to figure out how many women are needed for the place, someone
from the General Security would need to look over all relevant bank
statements and the club would need to be a certain size. For example if
the club fits 75 people seated, then the club owner is allowed to have 25
women working. The club owner would either need to own a hotel close
General Security. In order to get approval to open a Super Night Club and
to get all the paper work and permits in order, it takes around 3 months.
While permits are being issued, the owner of the club would have to
them. It takes around a month to get approval for Mouder el Malha. For
the first month, the club owner is obliged to go down to the General
Security and get all the visas for the women. So once the Mouder is
appointed and the paper work starts going through, then the club owner
can only apply for a certain amount of visas per day. For example, if the
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Mouder wants to employ 15 women, he can only apply for 2 visas per day,
responsible for them. “If the club employs 25 women, for example, then
women are allowed to have the same day-off. Each one on a separate day.
For the clubs that employ 15 women, they have the right to apply for
days-off for 2 women. For the clubs that employ more than 40 women,
they have the right to apply for 4 days-off. In such a case, 2 women can
have days-off on the same day. So, for example, 2 women have off on
What is meant by day-off is that the women have the right to leave the
cabaret between 8:00 pm and 3:00 am, but maximum by 4:00 am. The
women would need to be back before the cabaret closes. So what club
owners and Moudeer el Malha like to do is try and employ over 40 women
so that they can use the days-off to their advantage. So every week, a
Monday Moudeer el Malha would need to get approval from the Ministry of
Interior on the schedule. So the Moudeer el Malha would try and apply for
the maximum days-off, even if it’s not the women’s turns to take days-off.
This way if a customer comes and asks for a woman to take with him
outside the cabaret, the cabaret can supply them with someone. There
would be a bigger profit if a woman sees a client outside the cabaret. The
club would end up making on one woman between US$250 and US$500 or
33
even US$600. If a client is getting a high class woman on her day-off,
any of the papers, then he can and will get fired. When it comes to paper
work, there is intolerance for mistakes. There are some Mouder el Malha
that follows all the policies and procedures. However, most have
office where papers get process. For example, in Jounieh alone, there are
around 75 cabarets. All the Moudeer el Malhas from this area are forced to
to come from the Northern Lebanon and Western Lebanon and all over to
are always huge crowds and it takes forever to get anything done, there
are large amounts of money that they have to deal with, there is usually a
lot of pressure on the people that work there, and it is very time
consuming in a very time strained business. When every area has its own
‘ensure’ that people working in this industry don’t get carried away. “For
example, if the owner of the club did something wrong, like hit one of the
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are stopped from employing anymore women from outside for that
duration of time. The only options they have are to transfer women from
one club to another or deport them. They can’t bring them in. If the club
owner has westerners employed in the club and around 7 of them have
visas that end in about a month, and had a 3 month penalty imposed on
the club, then his club gets hit and it is forced to shut down. If the club
loses women, it becomes a big problem. Sometimes, clubs get shut down
by the authorities. This happens when a rival club is very well connected
and very well protected and is trying to keep control over the major profits
in certain areas. But this happens very rarely. Makhfar Hbeish is also
comes to issues concerning drugs and any wrongdoing that occurs on the
them. Sometimes what happens is that the clubs that are protected by
the General Security will try to impose penalties on clubs that are
protected by Makhfar Hbeish and the other way around. But in the end
the General Security pulls rank. In order to run a successful business, the
owner can employ, then the sky is the limit. “A club owner can employ
women from all over the world. They can even employ American women.
Every country can and do supply women. Clubs are not allowed to employ
35
women from Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, or any other Arab nationality.
Clubs will automatically be shut down if they do. It is against the law. But
apartments which are all illegal. If they do get caught they will most
definitely be sent to prison. I’m not really sure of what really goes on in
there are 3 or 4 Ministers that act as silent partners in different clubs. But
these clubs are more corrupt. They have a tendency of dealing with
around 127 Super Night Clubs all over Lebanon. Only the extremely rare
few are able to get away with a lot. So imagine with this many clubs how
much money is being made, and this money is not taxed; it’s pure profits.
The numbers are just unimaginable. I don’t even know all the numbers
that go into it.” However, there is still room for improvements. “It would
be better if, official were more neutral. For example, just because a club is
weak, they shouldn’t impose crazy penalties on this struggling club and
force it out of the market. They should be fairer. However, the system
that is in place in Lebanon is one of the top systems in the world, and it
really tries to protect these women against abuse. But they still need to
improve their work ethics and be more honest in their work” (Refer to
Appendix E).
36
5. Conclusion:
"Social tolerance for prostitution has varied widely; some cultures and
cultures and times have turned a blind eye, criminalizing it but not
never be entirely eradicated; still all the more must we strive to limit its
extent and its dangers. With prostitution itself, as with vice, crime and
lawgiver to prevent the crime and the physician to cure the disease. All
alike know that they will never fully attain their goal; but they pursue their
work none the less, in the conviction that he, who does only a little good,
yet does a great service to the weak man" (CMAJ). The next step for
legislative reforms.
37
incoming migrants that forced labour, sexual exploitation, and all forms of
telephone numbers of the police, the Red Cross and the Caritas Migrant
difficult. One of the main flaws of the judicial system, is that there is a
handling trafficking… cases and there has been only one special training
seminar taken by…" very few members (RoL). There is severe "…lack of
awareness on this issue within the government and within civil society to
eradicate the negative stigma attached to it, and there needs to be more
38
Works Cited
http://www.answers.com/prostitution.
Dec. 2009,
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/History-of-
Prostitution.htm.
IRIN. Lebanon: Lack of protection for women's rights fuels sex trade, say
http://www.irinnews.org/PrintReport.aspx?ReportId=26190
IRIN. Lebanon: Child prostitution still taboo, despite laws. 2008. 8 Jan.
2009, http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=26170.
http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-46.html.
http://www.mnhs.org/tips_topics/12prostitution.html.
2008,
39
http://www.childtrafficking.com/Docs/protection_project_2002_traffi
cking_lebanon.pdf.
trafficking/Lebanon-HTreport-Oct08.pdf.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100600.htm.
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,USDOS,,LBN,4562d8cf2,484f
9a251e,0.html.
http://www.answers.com/topic/prostitution.
40
Appendix A
01/ 483-508
∗ Questions:
• What are some of the obstacles that you face here in Lebanon?
∗ Background Information:
• It was located in Down Town. But then the war came in 1975,
and it moved all over. We're not sure when exactly it moved to
Sin El Fil
Tripoli.
41
○ Assistance in Nabaa- where victims younger than 18 are
at risk.
• Beneficiaries:
reason we don't get artist cases is, first, we don't have the
months.
• Services Provided:
○ Individual follow-up
○ Family follow-up
42
Some of these women have children out of wedlock.
being abused.
○ Educational services
so on.
○ Lawyers
○ Health services
discounted services.
○ HIV/AIDS testing
○ Shelter
shelter.
43
There are very few shelters in Lebanon. And they
• YWCA
• Mary Martha
○ Psychological follow-up
○ Atelier
other organizations.
Provides trainings
∗ Cases:
• Worst cases
44
○ When these women were young, around 7 or 9, their
• Response
• Success cases
45
∗ Problem with Government Institutions:
laws.
• When they are captured, they are either forced to stay in prison
46
on-one with them in a close environment, and provides us with
feedback.
47
Appendix B
03/ 751-832
∗ Questions:
• Are they abused in prison? Are they able to contact the outside?
Around how long is the sentence? And what o they do with them
next?
∗ Answers:
into Lebanon is more than the women. Over the years, they
48
• There are some cases that of prostitution. However, there aren't
have enough money to pay for required 'legal work'. There are
the prisons. The prisoners are able to make one phone call
when they first arrive. And they can send a message with
1 month plus a fine- I'm not sure how much. If they are unable
to pay, then they stay in prison until their debt is paid off. Every
night they spend in prison is about 35,000 L.L. off their sentence.
more.
49
Appendix C
∗ Questions:
• How old are you? How old were you when you started?
• What made you decide to stop? If you had the chance to do it all
• Amina:
50
worker. I knew a girl that was a sex worker and she
police many times. I'm not sure how long the sentence is,
sentence though.
• Jamila:
ages of 13 and 14, I'm not sure. I was 16 and a half when
51
got divorced; and then he died shortly after. I started
clients were like this and like that. The clients from the
me out.
52
wrong. I would always have some much negative
53
Appendix D
54
Sewing machines helps provide the women with other opportunities
55
Appendix E
∗ Questions:
• Background
56
• What in your opinion need to be changed?
• Background:
• I’m 24 years old. I’ve been in the business for 3 yrs now.
work with the women when I was in the club. The most
these women.
57
• In the club there are different positions. There are club
“Impresario”.
illegal but they are still around. The high class clubs
category.
58
country, and the women sponsored by the
59
fist fights. When such fights occur we try not to get
Tunisian woman.
60
○ There are also problems with women hitting
61
Tunisia women get into this business to find a
62
arrives, she gets tested for everything at Hotel
months.
63
○ If it is discovered that after a couple of days of
returned
the women are there too long, the women will start
of inter-racial marriages.
supplies.
64
off, the woman can choose to go with her friends,
• Legally:
club is on, or like our club, the owner only owns the
a permit.
65
bank, then the owner would be allowed to insure 25
this.
2006 war, all the clubs lost a lot of money from the
as possible.
66
statements and the club would need to be a certain
67
• Days-off:
68
customer comes and asks for a woman to take with
reach up to $1,500.
can and will get fired. When it comes to paper work, there
69
business. When every area has its own department, it can
• Penalties:
70
and any wrongdoing that occurs on the women’s
• A club owner can employ women from all over the world.
71
corrupt. They have a tendency of dealing with money
Only the extremely rare few are able to get away with a
being made, and this money is not taxed; it’s pure profits.
• Changes:
72
Appendix F
Preamble
barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the
and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the
between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed
their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have
larger freedom,
73
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in
Now, therefore,
standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another
in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this
74
person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or
Article 3
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade
Article 5
treatment or punishment.
Article 6
law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to
equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any
to such discrimination.
Article 8
tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the
constitution or by law.
Article 9
75
Article 10
Article 11
trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his
defence.
Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was
Article 12
Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such
interference or attacks.
Article 13
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and
Article 14
76
1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries
Article 15
Article 16
1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and
Article 17
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this
right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either
77
alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right
receive and impart information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
association.
Article 21
country.
Article 22
78
State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his
Article 23
unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for
equal work.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation
Article 25
79
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and
Article 26
groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the
maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall
Article 27
1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material
Article 28
80
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights
Article 29
1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and
purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and
society.
Article 30
group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act
aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth
herein.
81
Appendix G
Preamble
that
and
Taking into account the fact that, despite the existence of a variety of
combat
82
Concerned that, in the absence of such an instrument, persons who
for
that crime,
I. General provisions
Article 1
83
against Transnational Organized Crime. It shall be interpreted together
with
the Convention.
–2–
Convention.
Article 2
Statement of purpose
(b) To protect and assist the victims of such trafficking, with full
those objectives.
Article 3
Use of terms
84
For the purposes of this Protocol:
person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
or
of
organs;
irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been
used;
persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in
85
subparagraph (a) of this article;
(d) “Child” shall mean any person under eighteen years of age.
Article 4
Scope of application
Article 5
Criminalization
conduct
2. Each State Party shall also adopt such legislative and other
article;
86
(b) Participating as an accomplice in an offence established in
Article 6
trafficking in persons
domestic law, each State Party shall protect the privacy and identity of
87
provide for the physical, psychological and social recovery of victims of
understand;
provisions of this article, the age, gender and special needs of victims of
safety of victims of trafficking in persons while they are within its territory.
6. Each State Party shall ensure that its domestic legal system
possibility
88
Article 7
in receiving States
remain
Article 8
the
time of entry into the territory of the receiving State Party shall facilitate
and accept, with due regard for the safety of that person, the return of
that
89
a State Party of which that person is a national or in which he or she had,
at
the time of entry into the territory of the receiving State Party, the right of
permanent residence, such return shall be with due regard for the safety
of
that person and for the status of any legal proceedings related to the fact
permanent residence in its territory at the time of entry into the territory
of
that
residence at the time of entry into the territory of the receiving State Party
shall agree to issue, at the request of the receiving State Party, such travel
person
90
to travel to and re-enter its territory.
Party.
or
Article 9
economic
91
3. Policies, programmes and other measures established in
Article 10
them to determine:
92
international border with travel documents belonging to other persons or
persons;
(c) The means and methods used by organized criminal groups for
detecting
them.
rights of the victims, including protecting the victims from the traffickers.
The training should also take into account the need to consider human
93
organizations and other elements of civil society.
request by the State Party that transmitted the information that places
Article 11
Border measures
extent
trafficking in persons.
by
94
passengers are in possession of the travel documents required for entry
into
accordance with its domestic law, the denial of entry or revocation of visas
communication.
Article 12
such quality that they cannot easily be misused and cannot readily be
95
falsified or unlawfully altered, replicated or issued; and
Article 13
accordance with its domestic law, verify within a reasonable time the
to have been issued in its name and suspected of being used for
trafficking
in persons.
Article 14
Saving clause
particular, where applicable, the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol
96
contained therein.
application
principles of non-discrimination.
Article 15
Settlement of disputes
of
those States Parties, be submitted to arbitration. If, six months after the
date
of the request for arbitration, those States Parties are unable to agree on
the
organization of the arbitration, any one of those States Parties may refer
the
97
dispute to the International Court of Justice by request in accordance with
does
not consider itself bound by paragraph 2 of this article. The other States
any
Article 16
State
98
of such organization has signed this Protocol in accordance with paragraph
1 of this article.
organization shall declare the extent of its competence with respect to the
matters governed by this Protocol. Such organization shall also inform the
deposited
Protocol.
99
modification in the extent of its competence.
Article 17
1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after
approval or accession, except that it shall not enter into force before the
entry into force of the Convention. For the purpose of this paragraph, any
shall
organization.
deposit
of the fortieth instrument of such action, this Protocol shall enter into force
on the thirtieth day after the date of deposit by such State or organization
of
the relevant instrument or on the date this Protocol enters into force
Article 18
Amendment
100
1. After the expiry of five years from the entry into force of this
file
and deciding on the proposal. The States Parties to this Protocol meeting
at
the Conference of the Parties shall make every effort to achieve consensus
no
require
for its adoption a two-thirds majority vote of the States Parties to this
Parties.
their competence, shall exercise their right to vote under this article with a
number of votes equal to the number of their member States that are
Parties
to this Protocol. Such organizations shall not exercise their right to vote if
101
their member States exercise theirs and vice versa.
article shall enter into force in respect of a State Party ninety days after
the
those States Parties which have expressed their consent to be bound by it.
Other States Parties shall still be bound by the provisions of this Protocol
approved.
Article 19
Denunciation
denunciation shall become effective one year after the date of receipt of
the
102
a Party to this Protocol when all of its member States have denounced it.
103
Appendix H
General Security
Required documents
- A request for an entrance visa "a prototype accredited at the General Security".
- A job/work contract in which are specified the exhibit/ show's term and place
- A banking bail, guaranty (one million for each one of the artists).
company's organization)
104
The Allowance Charge
- The fees, charges on the artist's residence are receipted according to the
following: 300 thousand Lebanese pounds for the artist classified as group B
and 550 thousand Lebanese pounds for the artist classified as group A.
Notes
leave.
http://www.general-security.gov.lb/English/Entrance+Visas/visa9/
105