Building on our commitment to protecting and empowering girls and women with disabilities, the Lebanese Union for Persons with Physical Disabilities (LUPD) implemented the project “Integrating Gender-Based Violence Issues into LUPD’s Intervention programs” in the Bekaa region, in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and with support from UNICEF and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA SECURE).
The project aimed to create a safer and more inclusive environment through two main pillars:
Capacity Building and Policy Development
- LUPD staff were intensively trained on gender-based violence (GBV) concepts, case management, safe referral mechanisms, and facilitation skills, in addition to training on specialized programs such as “Arab Women Speak” and “Girls of the Sun.”
- In return, LUPD trained 73 IRC staff members on the principles of inclusion and disability to ensure the comprehensiveness of their programs, and developed a draft manual for inclusion and adaptation with the partner organization.
Direct Intervention and Community Empowerment
- Psychosocial Support: 183 women and girls (women with disabilities and mothers of children with disabilities) benefited from focused psychosocial support sessions and life skills development programs in Bar Elias and Baalbek, which enhanced their confidence and ability to face violence.
- Case Management and Referral: Specialized case management services were provided to a total of 41 survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) to ensure their safety, psychological stability, and access to specialized services, with 5 cases referred to specialized violence programs.
- Advocacy and Community Committees: Two community committees of women were formed and empowered in Baalbek and Bar Elias to participate actively in advocacy campaigns (such as the 16 Days campaign), enabling them to become leaders in advocating for the rights of women and girls with disabilities in their communities.
- Coordination Participation: LUPD maintained its active presence in working and coordination groups related to protection and mental health at the Bekaa level and centrally, to raise the voice of women and girls with disabilities.
This project tangibly contributed to increasing the access of women and girls with disabilities to protection services, enhancing their empowerment, and changing social perceptions towards disability within the programs of humanitarian organizations and the local community.
Participants’ Testimonies
“I am very happy that here, everyone listens to me.”
“When I go back, I will tell my sister what we talked about (information) and what games we played (activities), and I will play with her children.”
“My goal is to become stronger and benefit from the sessions.”
“I have learned to express what I want and what I need.”
“My relationship with others improved when I started talking and discussing more with people.”
“Everything has a solution, as long as a person strives to improve themselves.”
“It is important to express the things that bother us in front of someone we trust and ask them for help.”
“I want to write many things I like about myself. I want to fill the whole jug.”
“Self-confidence prevents anyone from getting close to us.”
“We must challenge ourselves.”
“The stronger I am, the more my self-confidence increases.”
“Here, we truly feel like we are having fun, and at the same time, we are learning many new things, and this always happens with us.”
“We as girls – sometimes our families don’t understand us, but it is important that we learn to express our opinion in front of them.”
“Everything has a solution, and every disagreement must reach a point where we resolve it away from violence.”
“I love everything we do here. These are our achievements.”
“I really love this space because I am very happy to speak freely, as I trust all of you.”
“The LUPD center is not like outside, because here you respect us and you respect privacy.”
“I participate in the session with you because I feel comfortable and happy.”
“We always have questions, but we cannot share them with just anyone.”
“I have come to know that if someone violates my personal space, I will definitely not allow it.”
“It is okay to say ‘no’ to someone, and they should not be upset with us. We must choose what is comfortable for us.”
“It is nice that in difficult times we find someone beside us, so we are no longer afraid.”
“Every day we face many situations with many people, especially those we love.”
“I used to be shy to talk about menstruation – it was actually forbidden – but now I have correct information, and I want to help my sister with this matter.”
“We will be the voice of women with disabilities.”
“Together, we are stronger.”
“This is our chance to let the world hear our voice.”
“I hold awareness meetings for women in my home, despite opposition from many people. I continued doing this because I believe these sessions changed me for the better, despite the losses I have experienced in my life.”
“We are very happy with these sessions because we draw strength from each other.”
“LUPD is a safe space for us because our problems are understood here.”
“Here, we can say whatever we want, freely and without fear.”
“The continuation of such sessions teaches us many things.”
“LUPD made us aware of our rights, and now we are able to speak up and demand them.”
“Whatever we learn, we share with our community, because it is our responsibility to educate our communities and encourage them to participate in such activities.”
“Today, we are convinced that our girls have the right to make decisions and determine their own affairs without interference from their father or brother.”
“I did not trust myself, but after all this support from LUPD, I have become stronger, and it is now impossible for me to let anyone hurt or oppress me. I have become able to say no, defend my right, speak up, and discuss.”
“When I became more aware and stronger, the violence against me stopped, because he knows that I will not remain silent about injustice towards me or towards my daughters.”
“I feel inner joy in the sessions, and I can express the thoughts and feelings inside me.”
“My self-confidence has increased, which helped me negotiate with my family and express my opinion, after I used to be just a listener.”
“I now have specific and clear goals that I strive to achieve.”
“I realized that excessive sacrifice is not always smart behavior. I must look at myself, set my goals, and do my best to achieve them.”
“I have realized the importance of self-respect, and I have started working on it. I planned to give myself 10 minutes every day just to listen to music, and that makes me feel comfortable.”
“I am now stronger and more confident. I have started giving advice to those around me, and I feel proud of myself.”
“Many of the topics were new to us, and we benefited from them.”
“I feel stronger and capable of saying ‘no’ without fear.”
“I have new information, and I am able to answer many things that I know.”
“I have started to feel encouraged to participate in discussions at home.”
“It has become clearer to me who the people on my trusted circle are.”
