Dignity for displaced women and girls in Lebanon

Background during and after the implementation of the project;

It became clear how fragile the health system was in most countries of the world, including those that were ranked advanced in various fields. The general situation in Lebanon is ominous, with political divisions, economic collapse, the debt payments of foreign debt and the great benefit in the face of the Corona epidemic. Lebanon has recorded 1946 cases of coronavirus (last update 09 July 2020) , which has caused 36 deaths in the country so far. The rates of commitment to prevent mixing and leaving houses vary from region to region where life seems very normal in most areas in terms of large numbers of people in the street and banks! The daily report shared by the Ministry of Health shows that the number of tests achieved until today reaches 10,808 while Lebanon is receiving 4 flights from outside including Lebanese student special cases especially from the countries that categories as epidemic countries. The population of Lebanon is around 5 million including 274.000 Palestinian refugees and around 950.000 Syrian refugees . during the spread of COIV – 19 , the government has taken a safety measures including the block down ,but at the same time serving the Lebanese citizens without including refugees in its social fund that aims to encourage citizens to quarantine at home by them self .

The Syrian refugees are on the Mandate of the UNHCR while the Palestinian refugees are exclusively served by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. UNHCR estimates approximately 1 million and half displaced people in need across the country and having a very strict restrictions on   entering the country since 2015, as well as hundreds of thousands of long-term Palestinian refugees and asylum-seekers.[1]

UN reports state that 80% of the 215,000 Syrian households in Lebanon are existing below the poverty line and more than half live in sub-standard conditions in overcrowded buildings and abandoned warehouses. Amnesty International has reported that Syrian refugees within Lebanon are experiencing an “increasingly hostile and xenophobic environment”.

While According to UNHCR, the number of registered refuges reaches 1500.000 individuals[2] distributed all over Lebanon; 35% are in North Lebanon, 34% in Bekaa, 18% in Beirut and 13 % in southern Lebanon and more than 87000 are on the waiting lists.

Naba’a Achievements; During the last period, The most highlighted achievements during the last period;

-          Providing online psychosocial support for women and girls whom are at risk gender based violence, including, vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Whereas, in Ein El helweh camp 555 adolescent girls and 220 women

-          Provision remote GBV specially case management and PSS and establishment of adequate referrals to connect women and girls to appropriate service provision

-          Providing 832 dignity and hygiene kits for the most vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian refugees in south and north Lebanon.

-          Referring women and girls whom are at risk of violence and abuse to psychosocial support, legal aid, etc…

-          Advocacy and lobbying, where the community Leaders and influential persons including religious leaders are aware about the risks of child marriage, and agree that marriage should not be contracted before 18 years in any circumstances.

Case study:

Code: R.J.006

Age: 16 years’ old

Address: Saida – Dalaa’ street

Nationality: Syrian

Grade: Grade eight

Hobbies: Cooking and making sweets

Number of Family members: 5

She’s the second child

A brief about the girls’ life: She lives with her mother, her father and her four brothers, she used to go to school, but she wasn’t interested in education, as she was causing problems with the teachers and the principal as well which led to expulsion from school. She stayed at home for two years, not even studying as she was only interested in cleaning the house and talking to older women which caused a change in her behavior as she became interested in being in a relationship or getting married. Where the 14-year-old girl got engaged to boy who are older than her in 7 years. Also, he does not work and he is not educated, which increases the problems between the girl and her family which caused the girl to cut her hands, and this behavior increased the mother's anxiety. Noteworthy that, the mother attends awareness sessions with us and during our discussion about mental disorders the mother talked about her daughter, which made us intervene immediately to address this issue.  The economic situation: Poor since the father is unemployed and they’re renting the house and her sisters are studying in school, thus the assistance that they are provided with from the United Nations is not enough, which makes the mother to buy foodstuffs in debt.The health situation:

The father suffers from disc disease, and this negatively affects the economic situation, as the mother suffers from pressure and diabetes. As for the girl, she does not suffer from anything.

The girls’ relationship with her father: it is a bad relationship, because the girl doesn’t talk to the father because of his bad behavior towards his children. She says that her father beat her and violates her and that he wants to get rid of her by allowing her to get married to anyone. Therefore, the girl always tries to escape from the house.

The girls’ relationship with her mother: it is considered as a good one. The mother always talks with the girl and educates her on how to behave. As she said that, her mother has apologized as they agreed to be friends and the reason behind this action goes beyond her mothers’ participation in the awareness sessions that is being implemented by Nabaa’. Add to this, her mother always tries to know what is happening with her daughter.

The girls’ relationship with her siblings: it is a good one. They play together and talk, and they used to go together to school. But once she left the school she felt that she had moved away from her siblings which annoyed her.

The problem the girl is suffering from:

Self-harm / early marriage:

The girl suffers from personality disorders and this is what made her hurt herself as well as thinking about marrying anyone, even if he was unemployed. So the girl suffers from despair and depression, as well as negative thoughts towards herself.

Data collection: the girl herself through conducting an individual hearing sessions / her mother through calling her.

Methods of intervention:

• Girl's individual hearing sessions.
• Group hearing sessions (mother - girl)
• Awareness sessions on early marriage to make her aware of the seriousness of the matter, as well as she was provided with awareness sessions on positive thinking, adolescence and anger management.
• The registration of the girl in vocational training, where we learned that she loves cooking and making sweets, thus when she registered she became more effective and started to build friendships.

Recommendations:

• Home visits along with a precaution measures.
• Follow up on individual hearing sessions.
• Awareness sessions on life skills / communication / violence / anger management / emotion management

Psychosocial support activities.

[1]https://helprefugees.org/lebanon/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInc-TgeeY5AIVyLHtCh0qdgA_EAAYAyAAEgIaDPD_BwE

[2] The communicated number from the ministry of foreign affairs is exceeding these figures!

Links:

• Naba'a website

Background during and after the implementation of the project;

Big concerns arise about the needs of the refugees coming from Syria and those who are living inside Ein El Helweh Palestinian refugee camp. Since, the situation of the camp is not secure and intense due to the latest clashes occurred among the Palestinian factions. So that, how to meet these needs and for how long. The big concerns are related to the humanitarian, economic and social aspects of the Syrian crises, and focus on the people who displaced from Syria to the neighboring countries. On top, there is the concern of the continuous mobility of displaced people as a consequence of the unrelenting unstable conditions. Regarding the situation of Ein El Helweh camp, during the reporting period, as those who think that the security situation in Ain el Helweh might calm down or stabilize in the near future are wrong. The camp has turned into a place that is open to all possibilities in light of the deteriorating security status, the clashes, the assassinations and the killings between Fatah on one hand and the other Islamic groups on the other hand. “

Syrian refugees have an average monthly income of LBP418,000, with a median of LBP 450,000 a month. There is a significant gender gap, as females earn 40 per cent less than males. The lowest average monthly incomes were found in Akkar and Tripoli; the highest reported in the South. The low wages are somehow complimented with other sources of income; 36 per cent stated they have other sources of income – relying mainly on UNHCR assistance or personal savings. The survey results show that, on average, refugees took 74 days to find work. While it would take 118 days for a refugee to find work in Tripoli and 97 days in Akkar, it takes around 30 days to find work in the South. Personal networking seems to be an important factor in job seeking as 40 per cent of working refugees found work through a Syrian acquaintance and 36 per cent through a Lebanese acquaintance. Poor occupational health and safety takes its toll on Syrian refugees. The data show that many workers suffer from one or more work-related health conditions or are exposed to hazards at the workplace. One out of two workers reported suffering from back or joint pain or severe fatigue; 60 per cent are exposed to dust and fumes, and 49 per cent to extreme cold or heat. A low percentage (12 per cent) of workers have faced some sort of conflict at work, mainly a result of a personal clash; if a conflict took place, most stated they did not take any action. Finally, very few workers (16 per cent) expressed a need for training to build capacity at work, while a larger number (50 per cent) required tools or equipment. Construction and agricultural tools were needed by males whereas females noted the need for sewing, hairdressing, and agricultural equipment. According to various research and official figures, the Syrian crisis has had negative repercussions on the economy and the labour market. Economic growth has slowed, private investments reduced, the trade deficit has expanded, and real estate and tourism – the two most important sectors – have declined. The Syrian crisis and the influx of refugees into poor communities in the peripheral regions of Lebanon have imposed enormous challenges on the country in general and on host communities in particular. The assessment also included focus group meetings with workers and employers in the North and Bekaa, which highlighted a number of repercussions of the continuous inflow of refugees: - Syrian refugees are mainly concentrated in peripheral areas that are historically poor and deprived, thereby exacerbating their already difficult living conditions. - Competition over job opportunities is one of the most, if not the most, urgent challenges facing host communities. The employment situation has worsened with the increase in labour supply. Syrian workers are accepting lower incomes, work for longer hours and without social benefits; this has led to decreasing wages and a reduction of job opportunities.

Naba’a Achievements; During the last period, The most highlighted achievements during the last period;

-          Children and women have been targeted in psychosocial activities as the following, 3051 children (males and females)and 550 parents most of them are women, including, vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Whereas, in Borj Al Shamali camp 555 children (males and females and 220 parents including (Lebanese, Syrian Refugees and Palestinian refugees).

-          Fostering and reshape the lives of the most marginalized 120 Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians young and adolescent girls through empowering the vocational skills of the most marginalized Lebanese girls and enrolling them in the vocational training center to study a vocational profession, this might help in preventing them to get married in the early ages and to think of their future in addition to provide an opportunity for them to find a job in the Lebanese community and to integrate with into it, so that their socio-economic situation will be enhanced as they are able to afford their daily expenses without being a burden on their families.

-          Empowering and enhancing the skills of the girls to be girls advocacy activists within their communities at the local and national levels.

-          Empowerment of women and adolescent girls on protecting themselves from abuse and violence

-          Referring women and girls whom are at risk of violence and abuse to psychosocial support, legal aid, etc..

-          Advocacy and lobbying, where the community Leaders and influential persons including religious leaders are aware about the risks of child marriage, and agree that marriage should not be contracted before 18 years in any circumstances.

-          It is worthy to note that, two child friendly psychosocial spaces were established at two UNRWA clinics (one in Ein El Helweh and one in Wadi El Zeni), where 2350 children whom their families access UNRWA clinics participated and joined the activities in these spaces.

Case study

-       Code: EH85 I

-       DOB: 45 years

-       Nationality: PRS  

-       Marital status: divorced

-       Number of children: 3 boys, 1 girl

Brief about the case:

The survivor is a woman who got married since she was 17 years old and her marital life was tough as she was subjected to violence and exploitation from her husband, where he used to send her to work at houses in order to bring him money to spend on drinks (as alcohol) and drugs.The survivor gave birth to 3 male children, as there is no difference in their ages except one year between each child. During these stages, the survivor suffered from the worst days, as he used to beat her as we’ve mentioned above until she escaped to Lebanon (Ein El-Hilweh camp) in order to live with her father, but the latter did not bear the children, so he asked his daughter to find another house. Consequently, the survivor rented a room to live with her children and subsist them by working inside the homes. After two years, the husband came to the camp and forced her to live with him, and during this period she was subjected to many insults and violence, where he accused her of cheating on him with a young man in the neighborhood which led her father to hit her in the middle of the street and kicked her out from the neighborhood in which she lives in.   After that, she got pregnant with a baby girl as she didn’t have the will to keep the baby girl alive, since she tried to abort her, but she was not able to do so, which increased the doubts of her husband that the baby girl isn’t his daughter. Where he forced her to do bad things (as she said) In order not to tell people that she is not a decent woman. It is worth mentioning that, the environment in which she lives in rejects these ideas and view that a murder for a reason like this isn’t a wrong behavior. So the survivor feared about her children and herself, which caused her to do many unpleasant things (selling drugs – taking pictures for women without asking them for a permission for the purpose of oppression to get money).

After that, the survivor felt that she could manage everything without her husband, so she asked for a divorce and moved to another neighborhood to live with her children.

Today, the survivor lives alone with her four children (the children work sometimes to transport things or sell tissue-paper and they don’t want to go to school, as for the girl, she is in our kindergarten. We’re following-up the children, where they are accused of theft - selling drugs and sexual harassment, so we follow up with children at social, economic and psychological level.) Now she is not working and remains asleep throughout the day without paying attention to the children. Ø  Her appearance:

Untidy and unclean as it looks tired, there are dark circles under her eyes, as well as her movements indicate that she is using drugs, but she did not admit that.

• The economic situation:
• Health status:

poor since the house is rented, and there is no furniture except mattress and a wardrobe for clothes. The house from the inside is not clean and not tidy, as she does not care about the children’s hygiene, nor the house, she said. She does not have the money to care about hygiene.

It’s not good since she always suffers from headache, as for the children, their bodies are weak and her daughter gets sick a lot, since she doesn’t feed them well.

Ø  The social situation: As for the survivor, she has no friends and the neighbors do not enter their homes for fear of her as she became known in the neighborhood she was not a decent woman. On the other hand, for children they have friends where they play with them on the street and in our center.

• Data Collection:

The survivor itself, children, community worker.

Ø  Intervention:• individual hearings sessions for the survivor• Awareness sessions on the possible risks that she may face • Psychosocial support activities• Individual hearings sessions for children

Ø  Recommendations:Supporting the survivor psychologically and socially through individual hearings sessions - awareness sessions – recreational activities.

Child support: remedial support - psychosocial support activities - awareness sessions - individual listening sessions.

Links:

• Naba'a website