BEIRUT: A few thousand protesters took to the streets of Beirut on Saturday to demand that politicians approve Lebanon's first law against domestic violence in a non-partisan display rarely seen in Lebanon's highly politicised climate.
Organisers harnessed popular outrage over the deaths of two Lebanese women in suspected domestic violence cases which struck a nerve in a country where regular car bombs and rocket attacks have desensitised many to violence.
"The people want the passage of the law," protesters chanted outside the ministry of justice, invoking one of the most popular slogans of the Arab Spring uprisings.
The demonstration, called to coincide with International Women's Day, appeared to number at least 3,000 large for a politically independent event in Beirut.
Lebanon, known for its nightclubs, stylish boutiques and liberal social norms, offers women freedoms denied to many in the Arab world, but campaigners say one woman a month is killed by domestic violence in the country of 4 million.
Many Lebanese took to social media following the deaths last month of Manal Assi and Cristelle Abou Chakra to condemn a seven-month delay in passing the domestic violence law, held up by political disagreements and backlog of bills linked to the Syrian civil war.
"How many wives must die assaulted by their husbands before the state passes the law to protect women?" said one tweet. The deaths of Assi, bludgeoned with a pressure cooker, and Chakra, who was reportedly poisoned with chemicals, amplified public outrage in Lebanon.
Last year's death of Rola Yacoub, whose family said was beaten to death by her husband in front of their children, first brought the issue to the fore. Zoya Rouhana, director of KAFA (Enough), a group supporting abused women, said the taboo surrounding domestic violence was lifting.
"People used to hide such crimes, even the parents of the victim, as if it was a scandal," she said. "But now people are talking more and the media is shedding light on these issues."
Yacoub's mother, Laila, said neighbours tried to intervene when they heard screaming from her daughter's house but were told it was a private matter. Inconclusive autopsies and witness statements led authorities to release her husband. "I want justice," Laila told Reuters. "You can't kill my daughter and six months later go free."
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