“Shu Ya Ashta”

Sirina ARISS, Terminale

“ Shu ya ashta?” One of the most common cat-calls in Lebanon translates to “what’s up ashta?” (a middle eastern version of whipped cream). In our society, women are expected to not only be sweet but are objectified and their worth is based on their physical being and complacency. If you report harassment to the police, the response you will get is a laugh in your face at best, and victim-blaming at worse. There is no recourse, there is no justice. Being a feminist in Lebanon is not the same as being a feminist in the west. While the core of our values is the same, we are fighting for more fundamental rights that are taken for granted elsewhere.

For example, while the gender pay-gap is a universal problem, it is particularly bad in Lebanon, especially when you consider young female unemployment is at least 22% and up to 30%. In cases of rape, the accused can marry the accuser in a legal loophole to save face for the victim’s family, and avoids prosecution. Domestic violence is technically a crime, but is often handled in religious courts and rarely ever results in anything other than victim-blaming. 

In our struggle, we noticed that when internal politics are so governed by external forces, it becomes difficult for feminism to take hold as the hegemonic power base is not only patriarchal but is entrenched more deeply than a simple democratic process can uproot: if we cannot even remove and combat the extreme corruption due to the foreign and internal powers maintaining control, how can we advance feminist policy. Frankly, women’s rights are lower on the list of priorities for all of the political parties and their external backers. 

So how is progress being made if not through reforms on a centralized, governmental level? Through the work of individuals, NGOs, companies, and the paradigm shift and awareness within the new generation. The upside is this change can be more rapid, however, the downside is that without government backing, these changes are not only voluntary but are also often localized to liberal communities and are unenforceable except through the court of public opinion. For example, there was a prominent bar in Beirut, a known spot for the hip, liberal, college-educated crowd, where an incident of sexual harassment occurred. One of the owners harassed a waitress, and although she reported it, no action was taken. However, when she posted her story on social media, others spoke up, and now this once active bar is empty and desolate.  

There is a whole community out there to support and give justice to anyone asking for it. As usual, when my government doesn’t do the job, the community will. Powerful “ashtas” are doing an amazing job and aren’t thanked enough for it.