We congratulate the legal researcher and volunteer at the Lebanese Union for Persons with Motor Disabilities, Ms. Hanin Jarkas, for defending her master’s thesis entitled “Legal Protection of the Rights of Persons with Additional Needs in Lebanon”, after she persevered in preparing it for a year of hard work and diligence, and her research efforts culminated in obtaining a master’s degree in public law with a very good grade (100/87).

The thesis was examined and defended before a defense committee consisting of Dr. Nemat Makki as chair and Dr. Hassan Jouni and Dr. Haitham Fadlallah as members. The student’s defense of her work was outstanding, and the committee commended her work and recommended that it be printed and published on the website of the Faculty of Law, Political and Administrative Sciences – Lebanese University.

The reasons for choosing the topic of the study submitted by the student are due to the fact that it is based on the reality that we live in today in Lebanese society, as the category of persons with disabilities is the most in need of care, attention and concern by the authority and its institutions, but what happens is that the minimum rights that they should enjoy are violated, all this prompts to talk about their rights and the difficulties they face in light of the lack of application of laws related to them on the ground. The researcher also found that legal books on human rights briefly mentioned the rights of persons with disabilities in passing, so she found it necessary to expand on this topic and bring it out in a new, independent form.

The study aimed to: It also aimed to study the reality of the rights of persons with disabilities in Lebanon and to enrich their legal knowledge of all their rights stipulated in international and national charters.

The study concluded that the Lebanese state is completely unable to guarantee and protect the rights and needs of persons with disabilities to the minimum acceptable level and fulfill its obligations enshrined in international and national conventions, and that Law 220/2000 gave these persons only formal legal protection, but does not provide effective legal protection for them. As of today, Lebanese persons with disabilities, in all categories and ages, both male and female, suffer from marginalization and flagrant violations of their human rights. This is due to the huge deficit in the state budget, rampant corruption, and the weakness of the state’s authority and its flabby administration. This crisis will continue indefinitely as long as official authorities procrastinate in devising long-term solutions to address this dilemma.

This study was a new stage and a turning point for the student, who adopted the cause of the rights of people with disabilities and demanded it, as she not only completed her thesis, but will continue her journey in this humanitarian affair and will be the voice of the voiceless.