Verena El Amil

Verena El Amil is a 26-year-old lawyer from Beirut, Lebanon and a beacon of hope for women in the country who are fighting for their rights and equality. She is committed to creating a more equitable society and tackling the patriarchal norms and ‘sectorial divisions’ that block progress for women. 

It was during her time at university that Verena became politically involved, through a secular and progressive movement called ‘Taleb’. She co-founded a network for students who shared political views on progressive values such as social equality and secularism, and ran for the 2022 parliamentary elections in Lebanon, with the aim of addressing the many social issues that limit women’s rights.

Verena is a strong advocate for changing the religion-based personal status laws in Lebanon, which has 15 separate personal status regimes based on religious sects, significantly marginalising women. She told us: “This creates differences in the rights of women based on their sect and corresponding law. Additionally, the kafala system for migrant women workers and the justification of ‘honour killings’ and marital rape further perpetuate gender inequality.”