Heartbeat is one of my favorite NGOs in Lebanon. Their mission is to fund lifesaving treatments for children with hear diseases via extraordinary musical performances that often feature the doctors and nurses that treat those children across Lebanon.

Instead of holding boring and expensive gala dinners, their shows feature over a hundred artists from around the globe for eleven years straight. This year is no different, only bigger and better, with groups like the Carcalla dacen troop, Anthony Touma, Miss Lebanon Valerie Abou Chacra and many, many others are participating this year to make it even bigger than what we’re used to.

Every year, 600 babies are born with congenital heart disease in Lebanon. 95% of those kids can be saved if they get the treatment they need as soon as they can. More than 2000 kids have benefited from the lifesaving treatments Heartbeat has been able to provide since 2006.

Here’s a clip from last year’s stellar performance:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hcc0jGf-TC0

RSVP here on Facebook and buy your tickets here! See you all there!

The recent massive crackdown on human trafficking rings in Lebanon is unprecedented, to say the least. Perhaps most of us didn’t give it much thought apart from a few seconds on the evening news. However, the implications of this crackdown, and the fact it’s happening at all, is very significant.

The Sex Trade in Lebanon

It’s no secret that selling and buying sex is a vibrant industry in Lebanon. There are several unofficial “red light districts” across the country, most prominent of which is Maameltein in Kesserwan. Prostitution is illegal in Lebanon, but nevertheless readily available. Sadly, like everything unregulated in this country, most of the crimes and horrendous stories remain in the dark, with the occasional arrest once or twice a year by a branch of the police dedicated specifically for these types of crimes.

It’s important to note though, that selling sex was legal till the 1930s in Lebanon, so, this is not something “new” here. It just got relegated to the dark alleys and dirty “super” night clubs that litter residential areas and turn them into areas locals and tourists with good intentions avoid like the plague.

Another catastrophic detail is that the law criminalises the sale of sexual favors, not its purchase. Which means that often, the women who fall victim to these sex trafficking rings get punished, while those who pay for “pleasure” from women forced into this trade, remain free and untouched. This incentivizes the illegal trafficking industry, since the demand will never go down given that those paying for it don’t need to worry about getting into trouble, while those that do get in trouble are often in a much worse situation than a Lebanese jail (like the Chez Mauris sex dungeon where 75 Syrian women were freed from last month).

Who Caught Them

We’re not used to hearing that sex trafficking rings are being busted in Lebanon. That’s because of many reasons, the first of which is not enough resources or manpower dedicated to fighting these powerful criminal organizations. A couple of dozen police officers is not enough to fight the hundreds, maybe thousands of people involved in this illegal trade. Another is corruption in Lebanon, which often allows criminals to escape justice by paying the right people off, or calling in the right favor.

That’s until a young officer in the ISF put an end to that by not caring about the political and economical incentives to turn a blind eye to these crimes, and instead, use the testimony of four women who managed to escape to bring down over 15 sex trafficking rings in little over a month.

Upon further investigation, I managed to get confirmation that the young officer was an IVLP alumnus. The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a 60-year-old program by the US State Department that I was lucky enough to be nominated to myself last year.

Launched in 1940, the IVLP helps strengthen U.S. engagement with countries around the world and cultivate lasting relationships by connecting current and emerging foreign leaders with their American counterparts through short-term visits to the United States. The majority of IVLP exchanges include visits to four U.S. communities over three weeks, although projects vary based on themes, Embassy requests and other factors. Participants meet with professional counterparts, visit U.S. public and private sector organizations related to the project theme and participate in cultural and social activities

source

I was part of the “Social Media and Journalism” leadership program, but there are several other programs each year, with specific ones geared to lieutenants and captains in the armed forces. One of those programs was put together to combat human trafficking, and that officer was selected for that program.

Upon meeting with the victims and hearing their stories, they seemed awfully similar to cases he had tackled on his 3-week IVLP experience. So, the officer, who does not work in these types of crimes specifically, decided to investigate further. The result was a relentless pursuit of justice that landed most if not all of the pimps involved in jail, and the doctors who performed unsanitary, involuntary abortions on the women banned from practicing medicine in Lebanon pending their trials.

The young officer had to face up to the corruption and taboos that allowed these kinds of rings to flourish, and with enough evidence and exemplary police work, was able to bring down that ring in what was very good news for Lebanese taxpayers who were outraged to find out this has been happening for so long, to so many vulnerable women, especially Syrian refugees.

Change IS Possible

How easy would it have been for that cop to just turn a blind eye? Let those girls go back to their hellish lives? To just say, “I’m not gonna be able to fix this myself” or “Lebanon needs a hundred years to get better”? We’re all guilty of those things, I admit, so seeing someone say “enough”, and do something about it, and get results, was very, very good news for me, and I’m sure you guys as well.

The problem is that exchange programs such as the IVLP are sometimes given a bad rep, and seen as “working with foreign embassies.” But, without the training and insight provided to this officer during his IVLP program, I’m not sure if he would have had the necessary drive to follow through with his investigation. I’m not sure how intensive the training on human trafficking is in Lebanon, but it surely needs a lot more work.

As an IVLP alumnus myself, I can assure you that you aren’t “asked” to do anything. You aren’t given just the “good” parts of the US’s policy, but the bad too, and how it is being handled or how it was resolved. We were taken to Ferguson in Missouri for example, and got the chance to sit with the Black Lives Matter activists, and the Ferguson Police Department. We were allowed to ask top US military brass about touchy subjects like the Iraq and Afghanistan war. All in all, it made us all better equipped journalists and helped foster relationships with folks in the US that help us in our work, just like it helped the police officer do his. So, people should cut the bs about the “safarat” rhetoric, and focus on expanding their skill sets to try and make life in Lebanon better and easier. If you know someone you feel would be a good candidate, nominate them, I think it would be worth it.

Credit Where Credit is Due

I know that the security forces in Lebanon are not my number one fans, and that I have had unpleasant experiences with them on way too many occasions. In other words, there is no love lost between me and the ISF. However, I am a Lebanese taxpayer, and my taxes fund the police to do good work for our communities, such as busting those sex rings. Therefore, whenever I come across success stories in good police work, I will shed light on them, in hopes more and more criminals are caught, and less and less bloggers, journalists and taxpayers are bullied into submission to a corrupt judicial and political system.

I hope more prospective police leaders get much-needed training abroad and come back to go good things in our beloved, battered Lebanon. And don’t ever fall into the circle-jerk that you can’t do anything, you can. No matter how corrupt or broken the system is, it is our job to step in and fill in the blanks. It’s your job to force the government into doing what’s right, whether you work in a governmental institution or pay for it with your taxes.

In the past, I’d care more about getting the scoop and being the first to jump into a story. These days though, I realize that the more prudent thing to do is to observe for a bit and form an opinion and position when things become clearer, intentions become known and the circumstances almost inevitable. So, even if I’m a bit late to the party, here is my formal endorsement of Beirut Madinati’s campaign to win the Beirut municipal elections on the 8th of May, 2016.

Last Year’s Civil Unrest

• “They’re not organized”
• “There’s too many demands”
• “The demands are too little”
• “Why are they just focusing on the garbage? What about the president? Electricity?”
• “Why are they focusing on other things instead of just the garbage?”

Those are the most common (and contradicting) comments I’ve heard in every discussion about last year’s protests. It is a classic case of damned if you do, damn if you don’t. A hallmark of any attempts at a powerful grassroots movement in Lebanon’s recent history.

For me though, those comments were lazy and not taking into consideration how remarkable what was happening was. After the coma grassroots sentiments were in for decades, they were suddenly back, diverse and plentiful. All we needed to do is add a little time, a pinch of pragmatism and a sprinkle of hope.

Almost 9 months since the unrest began, the Beirut Madinati campaign has signaled the shift in Lebanon’s civil society from demands on the streets, to elected office with a clear agenda and full transparency.

We Still Think We’re The “Youngest”

I still feel as part of the “youngest generation” in Lebanon. That the officer at the checkpoint is definitely older than me, when in fact I’m now probably 6 or 7 years older than him. That running for elections or voting is just an exam question in civics class. That people like us being elected to office is somewhere in the distant future, not the foreseeable one.

But, that’s no longer true for many early 90s kids like myself, who have NEVER voted but have become an integral part of Lebanon’s businesses, banks, hospitals, military and every other institution in Lebanon. Well-established lawyers, engineers, scientists, architects, entrepreneurs, designers, musicians, journalists, analysts, consultants and academics. So, if you still remember those civics class lessons, at 25, you can run for office, and be appointed to a senior governmental position.

A Real Chance

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fv1ha6szwH8?list=PLaZBtxWYzSSJ1ogHWaLiSKvl2iAgc7FZu

Personally, my concern was that we were demanding our fair and urgent rights, but we were demanding them from the people who forced us onto the streets with their decades of corrupt and incompetent (and seemingly never-ending) reign. How can we ask the crooks clinging to their seats to fix a problem they are the core of?

My second concern was that we did not always have a clear-cut solution we could all stand behind. That is normal in grassroots, largely leaderless movements. We are taxpayers, not lawmakers and cabinet ministers. It’s not our job to find the appropriate solution, but it is our job to pressure and monitor the government’s institutions to make sure that they do find that solution.

Beirut Madinati has addressed both those concerns quite clearly. They are offering an alternative to the current status quo with a gender-balanced, independent and diverse group of Beirutis committed to utmost transparency and support from first time voters. The younger generation that is less sectarian and politically polarized, and more pragmatic and tolerant.

They also put out a 40-page detailed program of what they’ll do when elected to office, and a shorter 10-point summary for you lazy bums who don’t wanna read the whole program. Their FAQ page is also a good read, especially on the weird dynamic between the Beirut municipality and Beirut’s governor.

From now till the 8th of May, I will be regularly posting about the election campaign on the ground, as well as helping make the case for Beirut Madinati.

If you want to contribute or volunteer, please do as soon as possible. There are already 2000 volunteers and the campaign needs all the support it can get in the run-up to the elections! Also, like their page on Facebook, follow them on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to check out their epic videos too.

They also hold weekly open houses at their offices in Badaro, and many other events which you can find on their Facebook page. There’s a fundraiser at Bardo tonight too! See you guys there!

The above roughly translates to:

“A short while ago, while I was headed to the Egyptian embassy, a police officer stopped me. I thought he wanted to search me, but turns out he wanted to use my phone. I accepted and let him use my phone. Turns out he was ordering manoushes delivered from a nearby bakery.

He ordered two cheese manoushes with tomato and not a single drop of hot sauce/pepper with two 7ups, in Ahmad’s name at the security checkpoint of the embassy.

He ended the call, hung up, handed me the phone and kept on going. No thank you or sorry to trouble you. Not even a smile. So, I told him “tekram ya watan” (you’re welcome ‘nation’ which is a term used in reverence to armed servicemen and servicewomen in Lebanon)

He replied “what, do you want me to pay you for using your phone? Wait till the food arrives, I’ll get change and hand you 500 LL”

I replied, “if I didn’t have better things to do I would have waited, but some people in this country need to work to get paid.”

As I was walking away, I heard him say to his colleague: “look, he’s being a smart ass because I used his phone!”

Anyway, I called the bakery back. Ahmad the cop at the Egyptian embassy checkpoint had two cheese manoushes WITH hot sauce, and one Pepsi. “Tekram Ya Watan” (you’re welcome nation)

What Hamza did was epic, and not unlike the situations he usually finds himself in and hilariously gets out of. It’s important to note that the cop did not “confiscate” the phone, but asked for it very rudely. Of course, it’s not that heinous of a crime, just a hungry cop abusing his authority to use a taxpayer’s phone for personal reasons while on duty without showing any gratitude, and not only that, but insultingly telling someone to “wait to give them 500 LL”.

Hamza’s prank was epic, and most of us in that situation would have just started cursing Lebanon and how it’ll never change for the better, letting it ruin our day. Hamza, instead, made ours with this hilarious story. It’s nice to see rude and crooked folks put down a peg every now and then. I just wish we could have seen the cop’s face when he bit into the cheese manoushe he didn’t want a “single drop of hot sauce on” HAHAHAHA!

1- What is End-to-End Encryption

Whatsapp gave the simplest explanation, so I’m just gonna quote them

WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption is available when you and the people you message use the latest versions of our app. Many messaging apps only encrypt messages between you and them, but WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you’re communicating with can read what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp. This is because your messages are secured with a lock, and only the recipient and you have the special key needed to unlock and read them. For added protection, every message you send has its own unique lock and key. All of this happens automatically: no need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats to secure your messages.

source

2- Update Your Whatsapp

And make sure the contact you are chatting with also has the most update version. To check that, tap on the contact and look for the “lock” symbol at the bottom under status and media.

source

3- It’s Not Completely Anonymous

Remember, even though the content can only be decrpyted by the recipient, this is far from enough to stop governments like Lebanon’s from illegally snooping on data to incriminate someone. For example, the authorities can still know that person A chatted / voice noted / sent a photo or video to person B at X time. So, if you are chatting with a dissident in an oppressive country, you can still put them and yourself in danger, so be careful.

4- The Stored Voice Notes, Photos and Videos Are Not Encrypted

The messages you receive, especially the photos, videos and voice notes are saved on your mobile and not encrypted. So, even though the actual conversation’s content can’t be intercepted, what’s sent will ultimately be saved on your device. Remember to also secure your phone, with a passcode and if you feel the need to with extra services that allow you to further lock certain apps such as Whatsapp or your Gallery.

5- If Encryption is Important to You, Consider Other Options

If your job or personal life includes sharing sensitive information with people in sensitive locations around the world, or just information you’d rather keep private and away from the prying, unchecked eyes of the government or malicious hackers, take the time to understand and use encryption.

Apps such as Signal and Threema are good examples of end-to-end encryption communication a lot of activists and journalists count on.

Also, these simple tips will help you make sure your data is safe and privacy protected

• Use different unique passwords for different accounts.
• Choose apps carefully. Make sure it’s trusted and does not ask for unwarranted permissions before you download them, especially on Android.
• NEVER click weird links that look official or enticing, like “find out your boyfriend’s facebook password” and then being prompted to logon to your Facebook from a dummy site that looks exactly like Facebook… So, you basically type your password right in there for the hacker “fishing” for it with “socially engineered” links they think will dupe you into clicking to either misguide you into giving out private information, or access to compromise your device or computer. So, don’t ever click weird links. Always go to the official websites of whatever the suspicious email alleges it’s from
• Enable 2-step verifications for stuff like your Google account
• Always update your apps, so that patches created to make them more secure are installed
• Don’t share sensitive information on public WiFi hotspots, and if you must, use a VPN to mask your identity and location.
• Be smart and skeptical. Your device is so important in your life these days, so take them time to understand how to secure it and save yourself the trouble of your private information falling into the wrong hands!

I will also be regularly posting suggestions, tips and how-tos to help keep your data safe in an increasingly connected world with the help of the awesome folks at SMEX. Check out a similar article written in Arabic here.

So, gamers like myself in Beirut are in for a new treat with the launch of Play Hard! last month! E-sports are finally making a solid appearance in Beirut’s ever-growing gamer and geek culture.

The first edition of Beirut Games Day will feature a tournament of perhaps the most popular video game in Lebanon, FIFA16 with cash prizes of $500 and plenty of gamer goods and gadgets to be won.

The tournament will be happening in parallel with the first true gamer event in Lebanon, with plenty of stands for, of course, video games, merchandise and retro gaming stations and arcades to bring out the hipster in you and our common love for all things 8-bit!

One thing I’m also looking forward to is Game Cooks’ stand. Game Cooks are Lebanese game devs who have put out some insanely addictive and visually stunning mobile games I’ve been hooked on for the past year, such as Escape from Paradise and many more.

So, make sure you RSVP on Facebook and see you all on Saturday April 23! Doors open at 11:00AM, tournament starts at 1:00PM. Entrance fee is 10,000 LL. Prepare your thumbs!

Chyno is one of those friends that somehow keeps managing to impress you beyond your wildest dreams. The Syrian-Filipino rapper is probably the most lyrically gifted english-speaking rapper my ears have had the pleasure of encountering, with layer after layer of subtlety crammed in between verses that will easily make you want to grind and bob your head. Perhaps those resonating messages are the real, original allure of hip hop, a feature that is often lost today with all the mindless, droning, whiny gangsta rap.

After OPP a couple years back, where Chyno tries to explore the mindset of a would-be suicide bomber, you’d expect Chyno to relax after such a heavy and unheard of approach to something that is increasingly a threat in our part of the world and the rest of it. Then, came Fight or Flight, that showed us he was just getting started.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpIE0FY2ero

I’ve been lucky to witness the long process of making his latest album “Making Music to Feel at Home” a reality. From OPP, to Fight or Flight and now Ballad of an Exodus and Drown It. What I love most about Chyno is that he is always extremely positive and no matter what’s happening, Chyno has a wide smile on his face and ready to discuss the intricacies of his lyrics that come from the pain of seeing one’s home go through what Syria has been going through for more than half a decade now.

Chyno is one example of how a new kind of Arabs are finding their voice. A tolerant, peace-loving and progressive voice spitting harsh truths on a microphone whether it’s in good old Mar Mikhael or at massive venues like uberhaus and Red Bull festivals across the Middle East.

If anyone wants to listen to what that type of Syrian feels and thinks on everything happening, then Making Music to Feel At Home is what I’d recommend they listen to. In fact, I was working on a BBC Newsbeat story in 2014, and Chyno was an integral part in telling that story. Check out the video here.

Drown It

This sick track features absolutely fantastic basslines by another very talented dear friend, Imad Jawad. It’s the same lyrical prowess we’ve come to expect from Chyno, with a groovy, sometimes hard-hitting sequence that was originally supposed to be for just a part of the track, but quickly became a main part of it, and here’s why:

Syria has Russian weapons, it’s ran like a Russian Mob,
This ain’t bout Russian Standard, when my people take Russian Shots
Bartender rush those shots, Got doubts for me to knock out
Bartender you a ‘sniper’, giving us shots that’s ‘on the house’

Ballad of an Exodus

With millions of Syrians fleeing their homes over the past few years, it truly is an exodus of entire people. This is what Chyno calls his Magnum Opus, and I agree.

“The ones who stay say in God they trust
The ones who run become blasphemous
Take their stories and become ambassadors
…This the Ballad of an Exodus.

If you like what you’re listening to, make sure to buy the album here, follow Chyno on SoundCloud and Chyno on Facebook!

Also, if you’re anywhere in Europe, check out Chyno’s upcoming tour in a city near you!

I enjoy Instagram. A lot! I love sharing the places I visit and the experiences I have across the world on such a simple yet effective platform. It’s made me see things in ways I wouldn’t have before and I feel the need to sometimes add some effects like mirroring and reflections to make already epic frames even more interesting.

So, when I was asked if I’d like to take over the Live Love Lebanon account on one of my Lebanon excursions, I humbly accepted and thought of how best to make good use of that wide reach on what I see as the most exciting social network today.

Stay Away from the Mainstream

There are plenty of photos of Raouche, the Faraya teleskis and the rock in front of Pierre and Friends, and even though these are iconic photos of places many of us frequent and enjoy, they’re not really adding any value to the folks that follow you.

Now, I don’t mean be a hipster, but add some local knowledge to your post and don’t just be an obnoxious tourist with a camera, but a person trying to experience what it’s like for a local. What’s the coolest place to have a manoushe in a rural area? What’s something a local wouldn’t miss doing in that souk or on that mountain or besides that beach?

And, here’s what our day ended up looking like:

Breakfast at Mayouli

This was a super quiet, out-of-the-way charming little bed and breakfast near the coast of Batroun. Its gardens and rooms are surrounded by hammocks, cute cats and bbq stations with lots of spots to sit and unwind. Their restaurant serves really good saj manoushes as well as other main staples of a Lebanese breakfast like labneh, zaatar and eggs. It’s affordable and quiet, away from the touristy hustle and bustle, which makes it a favorite destination for extreme water sports enthusiasts which spend their days on the beach and return to have bonfires and sleep somewhere quiet to prepare for the next day.

If you’re ever in the North and feel like something a bit different and out-of-the-way, then I’d recommend Mayouli.

The Ancient Phoenician Wall

The beach in Batroun is famous for being one of Lebanon’s funnest and most beautiful, while remaining affordable compared to the absurdly high prices of most beach resorts on the coast. One often-overlooked landmark there though, is the ancient seaside Phoenician Wall. This 225-meter wall dates back to the 9th Century B.C. and is quite an impressive monument despite being worn down by thousands of years of crashing waves. On one side, lies Batroun’s charming old souk, on the other, is a shallow pool you can find fisherman perched next to or swimmers going in for a dip during summer. Next to it you can also find sea-salt harvesting pools, a local tradition that still survives in Batroun and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll see locals preparing the harvested salt to send to your dinner tables!

El Heri Hidden Gems

Most of us visit the church on top of the mountains or cruise on the old coastal highway, but most of us are oblivious to the exotic-looking secluded beaches that line the sheer cliff in Heri, right before Chekka. One of those secluded beaches is one of my favorites in Lebanon and an amazing snorkeling spot with crystal-clear shallow waters with plenty of wildlife to interact with underwater, from schools of fish and sea urchins, and if you’re lucky, a turtle and if you’re extremely lucky, a curious dolphin dropping by to see what’s up!

Tannourine — Laklouk — Mejdel

These parts in the mountains of Jbeil and Batroun are gorgeous and largely untouched by rapid urban expansion and cliche tourist destinations. Apart from the famous sinkhole and few religious tourism hotspots, these mountainous regions are largely as they were decades ago (with improved roads and infrastructure to make your stay there more pleasant). Seeing the natural sinkhole (beloo3 bal3a) is a must, but finding a quiet spot to grab a bite to eat or beer to drink is even more essential. Enjoy the views and pleasant mountain weather. We had a small bbq at a friend’s place that day, and let me tell you, breathing the crisp mountain air will do wonders for you if you’re a city dweller like me!

My Favorite Kind of Posts

Despite the landscapes being fantastic, I wanted to experiment a little with my favorite method of posting on Instagram with such a wide audience and luckily, the places we visited allowed me to have some fun with photos like these two below:

Can you tell which is the actual sky and which is the reflection at first glance?

And this tilted one that features a valley with flowering trees and a river passing through, surrounded by hills and with snow-capped mountains in the background. Postcard material if there ever was one and a luckily for us, a recurring theme on our fun Sunday roadtrip!

Go Out and Explore

So, next Sunday, nurse your hangovers with a manoushe somewhere remote. Have some mixed grill in a small town and a beer later in the day in a hole in the wall with a breathtaking view and friendly mom and pop service. There’s so much to see and experience, even in destinations we’re already familiar with like Batroun and Laklouk this trip.

If you liked these photos, follow @LiveLoveLebanon for more like it and my personal account, @GinoRaidy

The absolutely horrifying news of the ISF busting a sexual slavery ring brought into light a reality most people know is true but would much rather not think or talk about. What these 75 women had to endure over the past two years is unimaginably evil with over 200 forced unsanitary abortions, torture and being kept against their will and “rented out” for long periods of time for as little as $1,000 to $20,000 for “months” at a time or “lengthier periods” (source: The Daily Star).

Illegal but Available

Abortion is illegal in Lebanon, but readily available. Unfortunately, such issues remain under the jurisdiction of religious courts, much like marriage, child custody, inheritance and divorce in Lebanon. Of course, religious courts are never pro-choice and grossly anti-women in most cases.

Luckily though, the clergy’s rigidity on social issues is not enough to stop people from getting abortions. Abortions are easy to come by in Lebanon if you find the right doctor and can pay the right price. This is of course great for those who can afford it, but extremely dangerous for those who can’t, like these 75 women freed last week by the ISF. The fact it happens in the dark and off-record, is a significant problem. If abortions were on-record (while respecting a woman’s privacy and patient-doctor confidentiality), it would have been much easier to flag over TWO HUNDRED questionable abortions over the past few months, and rescue these women and prosecute their pimps and the crooked doctor who lied to our faces on LBCI News then recanted everything and admitted his wrongdoing to the ISF the next morning.

Divisive Rhetoric Aside

I went to a Catholic school. Our “religion” periods featured videos of abortion procedures with terrifying music and a heartbreaking narration by a woman making you feel as bad as she can and as angry at the mother as possible. It’s definitely a touchy subject, but definitely not as divisive or prominent as in the US for example. Regardless, I think the dichotomy of pro-life and pro-choice isn’t as balanced as some might think, and that a safe majority of Lebanese folks would be ok with abortion at least under certain circumstances like rape or teenage pregnancy.

My position is that as a man, I will never become pregnant and that I have no right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body. In other words, in my personal opinion, my personal opinion should have no actual weight given that I myself will never have to go through this and thus, cannot decide on someone else’s behalf. That is why I am pro-choice. There are a lot more valid reasons to be pro-choice of course, but for me that was enough to put me in that camp. Bottom line is, it’s the woman’s choice and it is no one’s business getting in the way of that. And that is what I feel the need to weigh in on and support: a woman’s right to choose.

If You Can’t Ban Something, Make it Safer

Abortion rates are virtually unaffected by whether it’s legal or not in a country. What the law does affect though is a woman’s safety. Having to undergo unsafe procedures to abort a pregnancy is adding a lot of unnecessary hardship to an already extremely difficult decision and process for any woman considering an abortion.

Making abortion a crime only forces those seeking it to compromise on their health, safety and lives. Regulating it and making sure strict safety standards are adhered to and the necessary support given to recovering women, is essential.

Need proof of how dire and urgent this is? The fact that even though it’s illegal, 200 abortions were carried out on those 75 women over the course of 48 months, goes to show that the ban isn’t working. It’s just facilitating using abortion as a tool to perpetuate the modern day sex slave trade and allowing the pimps to hide their crimes, while women voluntarily seeking an abortion have to go to unacceptable lengths for what should be a medical procedure that protects both the patient and the doctor.

Get Over It

I know many of our educations hammered into our heads an irrational opposition to something that’s none of our business to begin with. But, pause for a second and think, do you really want a woman to go to a “doctor” (more of a butcher) like Riad Alam so you can feel self-righteous and pious?

Again, the bottom line is that it’s none of your business if a woman gets an abortion or not, but you should care that they’re not exploited or put at risk to get a procedure done.

To sum up, allow me to congratulate the ISF on rescuing the 75 women and arresting their pimps. I also call on the ISF to continue to act swiftly to bust such horrifyingly evil rings that sell minors and women into sexual slavery, something as dastardly as what ISIS does and something we definitely should never allow to happen on such a large scale for such a long time in one of Lebanon’s major cities.

That’s only a few reasons why abortion should be legal in Lebanon.