CAROLINE BAZZI

Beirut- Lebanese activist Nadine Jouni, a campaigner of the National Campaign to Raise the Age of Custody within the Shiite Community, died on October 6, 2019, in a car accident. Nadine Jouni kept struggling to the end in order to empower women and to seek their rights against the injustices. We spoke to Ghida Anani, founder and director of the Resource Centre for Gender Equality (ABAAD), activist Zina Ayyad, a friend of Nadine Jouni, and Zeina Ibrahim, the head of the National Campaign to Raise the Age of Custody within the Shiite Community, about the life of Nadine Jouni and her struggle.

Her absence left a void

Stating that Nadine Jouni worked for the Abaad Centre until her last day, Ghida Anani said, “Before working for our centre, Nadine carried out activities for girls and women. She was always on the frontlines. Then, she joined our media team. She was a dynamic woman. That’s why her absence leaves a void in our centre. Nadine worked fearlessly to defend the rights of women and girls and raise their voices. She always worked without getting tired. We can say that the women’s movement has lost one of the important personalities.”

“Nadine always had a strong stance”

Activist Zina Ayyad told us she had a strong friendship with Nadine Jouni. “Nadine and I worked in the same department of the Abaad organization. We worked together for years. Her office was right in front of my office. Every day, we used to come together to the office and then to home. We were good friends. Nadine died in 2019. When she died, I still worked for the Abaad organization. I met Nadine the day before she died. She rented a car and spent the whole day with her son so she was very happy. Nadine needed moral support. Nadine always had a strong stance. She tried to not show her pain,” Zina Ayyad said.

“She inspired many women with her struggle”

Stating that Nadine Jouni supported many women, Zina Ayyad continued to talk about her friend as follows: “The struggle of Nadine continues.  Nadine inspired many women with her struggle. We can say that the campaign to raise the age of custody has lost a lot after her death. Nadine knew very well how the custody problem affected women and children. For this reason, she struggled for the rights of all women. Nadine was a strong and brave woman. She wanted to keep struggling until her last breath and she struggled until her last breath.”

“We lost a brave mother”

Zeina Ibrahim, the head of the National Campaign to Raise the Age of Custody within the Shiite Community, told us that Nadine was the first woman joining the campaign. “Nadine worked for the campaign for 24 hours. She constantly improved herself to draw the world's attention to this issue. When her son’s name was mentioned, she felt powerless. Despite everything, she had a strong personality. We lost a brave mother who raised her voice and encouraged other mothers.”