Since the 4th of August massive blast that hit Beirut, 26-year-old Liliane Cheaito was in a coma, devastating her family, friends, and hundreds of social media users; who kept sharing photos of the mother's months-old baby. Only on the first day of the new year did this change, as the sleeping mom came back to life again.
Remember Liliane Cheaito?
— Aya (@Aya_Isk) January 2, 2021
On the day of the blast she was getting her husband a gift & went into a coma.
Her husband has allegedly taken her young son away, preventing him from seeing his ailing mom& her family for the past 5 months.#ليليان_شعيتو pic.twitter.com/ebdgGz67Bh
While celebrating the fact that Cheaito has overcome her major injuries after the huge explosion that hit Beirut five months ago, social media users were shocked to know that Liliane's in-laws had been keeping her son away from her own family, and even refusing to bring to her as she finally woke up on the 1st of January.
Local journalists investigating the issue found out that Liliane's husband resides in an African country where he works, leaving the months-old baby with his family back home in Lebanon.
Lilian Shaytou Between The Miracle Of Waking Up After The Explosion And Depriving Her From Her Son... https://t.co/aIfUO5SwSy via @wordpressdotcom#لبنان #لبنان_اولاً #ليليان_بحاجة_لابنها #ليليان_شعيتو #بيروت #نصرالله #بيروت_حره_ايران_برا #ع_gheir_كوكب
— Amar 🌙 (@AmarrHT) January 3, 2021
According to the religious Shiite courts that handle social issues for followers of the Shiite sect, a child custody goes to his father and the father's family in case of mother's death or a divorce, but only when they are older than 2 years. Yet, in Liliane's situation, the mother was neither dead nor divorced, sparking questions over the child's custody.
#ليليان_شعيتو
— 👾نيفين.👾 (@Nivineeee) January 3, 2021
I was told the full story about Liliane Chaito last night.. she's a member of my family..
It's so disgusting what her family-in-law are doing. She deserves so much better. A poor innocent woman who didn't ask for anything and almost died..
As Liliane's story went viral online, with social media users condemning the father and his family for what they described as "deliberately depriving an ailed mother of her only baby," the religious court issued a decision, banning the child's travel without his mother's permission and giving Liliane the right to see her son for at least four hours a day, as she continues to receive treatment of her injuries.
قرار المحكمة الجعفرية بمنع سفر ابنها ل ليليان واجبار عائلة الزوج على اعطاء الولد لالها ٤ ساعات يومية#ليليان_شعيتو#ليليان_بحاجة_لابنها pic.twitter.com/foBsWE3tAs
— Mahassen Moursel (@MMoursel) January 2, 2021
Translation: "The Lebanese Ja'fari court decision of a travel ban on Liliane's son and forcing her in-laws to give the baby to her for four hours a day."
قضية #ليليان_شعيتو مؤشر لضرورة استمرار النضال والضغط من أجل #النساء المحرومات من #حضانة أطفالهن وطفلاتهنّ، ومساندتهنّ ضد #المحاكم_الدينية حتى إقرار #قانون_مدني ينصفهنّ. #شريكة_ولكنhttps://t.co/7bN3chnIsf
— Sharika wa laken (@Sharika_walaken) January 4, 2021
Translation: "The Liliane Cheaito cause is an indication of how important it is for women deprived of their kids to continue the fight for children's custody and of the importance of supporting them against religious courts until a civil law can do them justice"
However, it remains unclear whether this rule will apply after she leaves the hospital, especially after her husband told news outlets that they are not divorced, neither are they meaning to, saying that they had a great relationship prior to the blast.
Over the last several years, many Lebanese women from the Shiite sect have been fighting for better custody rights, as the religious laws grant fathers the right to have children custody as soon as kids finish nursing, around two years old, depriving divorced mothers of the rights to raise and enjoy the company of their kids for the rest of their lives.