Lebanon is experiencing an economic crisis partly fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic and aggravated by the catastrophic explosion that tore through Beirut last August.
Randa Yassir, executive director of youth and women’s rights NGO the Smart Center, explains here how deteriorating conditions may have grim consequences for gender equality and freedom of speech.
IWPR: What progress has there been in Lebanon in recent years for women’s rights in general and their freedom of expression in particular?
Randa Yassir: Although Lebanon used to be considered one of the freest countries in the Arab world, there has still been little progress in most areas of gender equality.