Laure Moghaizel

Laure Moghaizel (1929–1997) was a Lebanese attorney and prominent women's rights advocate. who was awarded the National Order of the Cedar (commander) in recognition of many years of social and public service.

Moghaizel was a founding member of many organizations including the Democratic Party of Lebanon, the Lebanese Association for Human Rights, and Bahithat (Lebanese Women Researchers).

Early life and education Laure Moghaizel was born on April 21, 1929, in Hasbayeh, Lebanon, to Labiba Saab and Nassib Salim Nasr. She, her sister, and her two brothers lived in three cities during their younger years - Jounieh, Aley and Baalbeck. Moghaizel's father was a high ranking police officer whose work demanded constant relocation throughout Lebanon, allowing her increased exposure to various settings, peoples and cultures. She became fluent in English, French, and Arabic.

Moghaizel's parents, specifically her mother Labiba Saab, were seen as progressive, in the context of the time period. They encouraged each of their children to reach their highest educational potential. Her mother urged her and her sister to continue their studies post-Baccalaureate, though post-graduate studies were generally limited to the wealthy in Lebanon.

Moghaizel acquired her secondary education at Aley National School where she received a secular, progressive, Arab education. Laure also met her future husband, Joseph Moghaizel, while they were both students at university.

It was during her first year of law school in 1949 that Moghaizel began to meet other like-minded women, many of whom similarly pioneered women's rights in Lebanon. These figures included Laure Tabet, Mirvat Ibrahim and Najla Saab. Lobbying for the adoption of CEDAW in Lebanon is considered another one of the Moghaizel couple's biggest contributions to human and women's rights.

Personal life Laure Moghaizel met her husband Joseph when they were both students at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. They met during a national students’ demonstration, foreshadowing of the beginning of their life and career together. Laure and Joseph, both Christian Catholics, married in 1953. They had 5 children: Nada, Fadi, Jana, Amal and Naji, who describe her as being “a very devoted mother”. Her daughter, Nada Moghaizel Nasr describes her mother as being someone who did it all: she was simultaneously a homemaker that cooked, cleaned and raised children, and an exceedingly successful advocate against social and political inequality.