Beirut, Lebanon – March 2020: Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by himaya and the Bar Association in Tripoli, with the aim of facilitating ways of cooperation in the field of child protection; in partnership with the UNICEF under the Justice for Children program funded by the European Union, himaya organized a first of its kind training session for lawyers from the Bar Association in North Lebanon over two days on the 5th and 7th of March, in the presence of the President of the Bar Association in Tripoli, Mohamed El Mourad, judges and lawyers, in addition to representatives from the NGO.
This training will allow the 20 attorneys affiliated with the Union, to represent the children effectively in the Lebanese judiciary, taking into account the best interests of the child. The lectures given by the judges, lawyers and himaya representatives shed light on the preventive and social role that lawyers can play in achieving the best interests of the child, whether the child is in violation of the law or is at risk, without prejudice to the ethics of their profession as defenders of their clients.
The President of the Bar Association in Tripoli, Mohamed El-Mourad, gave an opening speech in which he stressed the importance of this collaboration and its effectiveness regarding ensuring that children’s rights are respected. He added: “We are now witnessing the results of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between our Union and himaya, which name matches its meaning and purpose: protecting children. This institution has given a unique model at a national level for awareness, performance, practice and specialization in child protection.”
For this occasion, Ghaith Al-Bitar, manager of “himaya” in the North Region and Akkar, thanked all the partners who contributed to this training, which is the first initiative of this cooperation. He especially thanked the Bar Association, as well as the president and the members of the council, in addition to UNICEF and members of “himaya”. He added: “Ever since 2008, “himaya” has been working towards protecting children’s rights in Lebanon. There have been two programs to achieve this goal: the prevention program and the immunity and resilience program. Since its mandate in 2018 by the Ministry of Justice, the NGO has managed to intervene and follow up on all cases of violence against children in the North Governorate, dealing with to 266 cases received by the association’s office, from which 85 protection files were created for minors at risk.
The training also aims to provide trainees with a clear understanding of the basic principles of the rights of a child subject to violence and a child violating the law, as the lawyer’s approach in child protection cases is different from that adopted in other cases, since it prioritizes the needs of the child. The training also plays an essential role in addressing the lack of specialization for lawyers in regards to child protection, in addition to the fact that current practices in the Lebanese justice system doesn’t always allow lawyers to fulfill their role effectively.
This activity is part of a series of initiatives implemented by himaya to continuously raise awareness about child protection and provide authorities with the necessary information and guidance needed to ensure children’s rights.