The Beirut Bar Association (BBA) presented the draft of the new law on civil marriage in Lebanon on Thursday. The representatives of President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and the Lebanese Minister of Justice were present in the Beirut Bar Association. Couples in Lebanon that wish to get a civil marriage have to do it abroad. The marriage then gets recognized by the Lebanese authorities. What these lawyers are trying to do is to have an optional civil marriage law in Lebanon. So, if the law gets approved, people will have two options: religious marriage and civil marriage. The drafted law establishes equality between men and women. It gives parental authority to both parents. Also, the law imposes mediation to the couples that are thinking about getting a divorce. The committee of the lawyers is composed of members of different political and religious backgrounds that reflect the diversity of Lebanon. In fact, there were many unsuccessful attempts to put the civil marriage law on the books. According to
, a group of citizens held a sit-in two years ago in Downtown Beirut, and they demanded to obtain a civil marriage in Lebanon rather than abroad. The draft has not been presented to the Parliament yet.
