The New Monthly Webinar Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: Childhood is the basic red line in any society that wants to produce normal adults, and wants to secure a better future for its generations, born and yet to be born

You can find some photos below the text.

The Middle East Council of Churches continues its series of monthly seminars, and held a new webinar entitled “Human Dignity for Newborns of Unknown Parents”, on Thursday 31 August 2023, with the participation of specialists, academicians, universities’ students and interested attendees in the topic at hand. Noting that this webinar comes within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

The webinar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook Page, included three interventions, moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh, who presented in his opening speech an overview about the phenomenon of leaving children without custody, in addition to its causes and the situation of this issue today.

The webinar began with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, in which he spoke about children with unknown parents, and he said, “We do not care where this child, of a few hours or days of age, came from, nor how he got to where we found him. Rather, what matters to us is that, as soon as he came out into the world, he became a social being with basic rights, the first of which is identity, followed by other rights, all of which are related to family, health and educational care. Therefore, he has the right - indeed, it is the duty of society - that his dignity and rights be preserved, and that he is not punished for the mistakes of those who brought him into the world. He can't bear the burden of mistakes made when he didn’t exist yet.”

He continued “A child abandoned in the street is the indicator that the entire societal system is not working. Neither protection nor educating people is secured, nor is care for girl - victims secured, nor is the necessary legislation secured, not even social awareness is secured, in order to avoid the girl-victim being overwhelmed with all forms of accusations and judgments.”

He added “Childhood occupies a distinguished place in the Christian faith, which is embodied in the sayings and actions of the incarnate Master with regard to the little ones, as it was stated by Him that “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea,” as he said. It is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

He also said “The Church has honored the Master’s commandments about childhood, and it has inspired many countries in their legislation and social policies, just as it has inspired many spiritual leaders to establish associations that deal with childhood, especially the suffering childhood, despite many lapses that amount to a crime and result from human weakness that does not touch the foundation of the endeavor nor what has been accomplished, nor the noble work of those who do well.”

Dr. Michel Abs concluded “Childhood is the basic red line in any society that wants to produce normal adults, and wants to secure a better future for its generations, born and yet to be born. As for the victim's childhood, it deserves more attention due to its vulnerable situation.

This is another challenge that we pose to the concerned researchers, who are aware of the enigmas of matters, and through them to society and the state, to protect weak people and not to burden them with what is not their responsibility, and remember the noble saying that “no bearer of burden bears the burden of another.”

Afterwards, the first intervention started under the title "A Fair and Just Future: Respecting the Rights of the Abandoned Child", with Sister Nada Fadel, Head of St. Mansour's Shelter for the Sisters of Charity. She highlighted the establishment of this Shelter, and talked about its mission, principles and work in the context of the service and care for children left without custody. Sister Nada also mentioned the challenges they face in the Shelter, referring to the formal procedures for adopting any child in their institution.

The second intervention was entitled "Children Left with Unknown Parents and Judicial Protection", with Mrs. Nadia Richa, Director of "Judicial Protection Cases Department" Himaya Organization - Justice Palace, Tripoli. She presented a definition about newborn without parents, highlighting the legal and judicial procedures that should be adopted with every abandoned newborn child. Mrs. Nadia talked about family care in cases of abandoned newborns, in addition to ways to report these cases.

The third intervention was entitled “Newborns of Unknown Parents Between a Lost Identity and Alternative Care Provisions”, with Attorney Ghazal Merheb, an Appeal Lawyer. She spoke about this issue amidst the Lebanese, as well as its difficulties. Lawyer Ghazal also shed light on the legal procedures that protect these children, talking about how to officially register them in Lebanon and the necessary procedures to obtain for them a birth certificate and an identity card.

The webinar ended with a session for questions and discussion between the participants during which they exchanged opinions and experiences, each on according to his and her specialization and field of work. Then, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches delivered a last word in which he talked about the issue of abandoned newborns from his sociological point of view, referring to the MECC role in this context, especially in working to preserve human dignity.