Launching Families’ Voice Up Association in Lebanon
On Wednesday 23th of March 2022, NoPhotoZone launched a family’s association of 100 Syrian refugees women in Beirut- Lebanon, whom are families’ members of detainees and enforced disappeared, and women survivors of detention, supported by the International Commission on Missing Person and the European Union.
The 5-hour event hosted the attendance of NoPhotoZone’s team, representatives of ICMP, and the members of the Families’ Voice Up association, with many invitees such as the French Embassy, the German Embassy, the British Embassy, OHCHR, ICRC, UN Woman, Diakonia, AFP, Syria TV, Taharry Website, singer Ahamd Kaabour, M. Ali Abuldehen the president of the Lebanese Political prisoners in Syrian Prisons.
Many speeches were given during the event, starting with a speech by the Executive Director of NoPhotoZone, ICMP representative, The French Embassy in Beirut, in addition to many interventions by the women members of the association, the German Embassy, The British Embassy, and other guests.
Most of the interventions addressed the importance of supporting the file of detainees and missing persons and their families, especially the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the continuing struggle to know the truth and achieve justice and rehabilitation for victims of torture and detainees and their families.
The song ( Keep me in your memory ) by singer Ahmad Kaabour and Poet Sawsan Murtada was screened during the event, the song was sponsored by ICMP, MENA Prison Forum, and Umam for documentation and research. A movie about the impact of detention on women and children produced by NoPhotoZone was screened also. 3 Musical performances were performed by KARAR Ban ( Decision ) during the event, which is a new band of Syrian refugees musicians, whom most of them are sons and daughters of detainees and enforced disappeared, and the ban is sponsored by NoPhotoZone.
The launching of Families’ Voice Up was just a start for a long journey of hard work by the survivors of detention and families of detainees and forcibly disappeared to know the truth and achieve justice.
Nophotozone believes in the essential role of former detainees, their families, families of forcibly disappeared individuals and missing persons in leading their struggle and advocating against arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and unfair trials. They establish their own ways of supporting their causes through direct representation and personal participation in relevant meetings and forums.
The primary mission of Nophotozone is to empower and support victims and their families, working towards uncovering the truth and achieving justice from their perspective. In this context, Nophotozone launched the Families’ Voice Up Association in March 2022, composed of 100 Syrian refugee women in Lebanon, including former female detainees, families of detainees, forcibly disappeared individuals, missing persons.
The situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is full of challenges, especially for women. Therefore, the Family Association’s approach prioritizes this reality, taking into account the necessity and importance of the rehabilitation process.
Objectives
Empowering Association members and assisting them in leading their struggles and directly representing their issues.
Work plan for 2024
Building the structure and strategy of the Association and providing legal training related to immigration and asylum laws.
Activities Conducted
Legal training on the following topics: Syrian and international laws related to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, rights of families of missing persons, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, advocacy, and mobilization.