The phenomenon of sexual blackmail is on the rise in Lebanon, yet it remains largely taboo. For Sleiman al-Hajj, associate professor of creative writing in the Department of Communication, Arts and Languages at the Lebanese American University (LAU), it was essential to shed light on a social issue that continues to destroy lives and damage mental health, despite being cloaked in silence.“It’s a phenomenon that is both deeply painful and extremely intimate. Can we imagine how difficult it is for the victims — those who had to pay money, lose their jobs, leave their country, cut ties with loved ones, or, in the most tragic cases, end their lives?” he said. “Given such violence, the silence is understandable. But precisely because it isn’t talked about, it continues to spread.”His article, Narrating Sexual Blackmail in Lebanon: A...