Unicef: A quarter of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon forced to send children to work

Desperate situation in Lebanon pushes families to take drastic measures

Syrian refugees sit with their belongings on a pickup truck as they prepare to return to Syria from Wadi Hmayyed, on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal. All photos: Reuters

Hundreds of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon returned home on Wednesday, the first day of repatriations organised by Beirut, amid rights groups' concerns that the scheme may involve elements of coercion.

Lugging suitcases, power generators, fridges and even chickens, about 700 Syrians who had agreed to cross over gathered from early morning in a desolate north-eastern border zone.

Lebanese authorities said the repatriations, under a revived programme run co-ordinated by the country's General Security agency, are voluntary.

The United Nations says flare-ups in violence and the risk of detention make it still unsafe for large-scale returns.

Lebanon is home to more than 800,000 Syrians registered with the UN refugee agency. At its peak, Lebanon hosted around 1.2 million.

They fled the violence in the aftermath of protests against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in 2011.

In 2018, the General Security agency launched a mechanism through which any Syrian refugee could signal a desire to return home.

That pathway saw about 400,000 Syrians return home but was put on hold with the outbreak of Covid-19.

Outgoing Lebanese President Michel Aoun revived it this month and it resumed on Wednesday.

About 28 per cent of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon have resorted to sending their children to work to cope with their living situation – a 7 per cent increase over last year.

The data is from a new report by Unicef, who spoke to Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian households in Lebanon. It also found that 86 per cent said they do not have enough money to buy basic essentials, up from 76 per cent last year.

In three out of 10 Syrian families, at least one of their children does not attend school. Transport costs, the price of educational materials, or because the school would not allow them to attend, were the most commonly cited reasons.

About 15 per cent of families have stopped their children’s education, an increase from 10 per cent a year ago, while 52 per cent cut spending on education, compared with 38 per cent a year ago.

Overall, more than one in 10 families surveyed have had to send children to work. There are about 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

“The compounding crises facing the children of Lebanon are creating an unbearable situation – breaking their spirit, damaging their mental health and threatening to wipe out their hope for a better future,” said Edouard Beigbeder, Unicef’s representative in Lebanon.

The report highlights the measures desperate families have had to take to cope in Lebanon, a country grappling with one of the worse economic downturns in modern history. Much of the population has been pushed into poverty, purchasing power has plummeted – and for Syrian refugees, the Lebanese government has sharply increased its rhetoric against their presence.

Unicef's survey also underlined the effect the situation is having on the health of households. About three quarters have slashed spending on health treatment, up from 60 per cent last year.

“Despite these desperate coping measures, many families cannot afford the quantity and variety of food they require, and additionally cannot afford the expenses involved in getting health treatment,” Unicef said.

“Significantly, the crisis is also driving up period poverty, with just over half of respondents saying women and girls in the household do not have enough female hygiene items, such as sanitary pads, and almost all of them are saying they are now too expensive.”

The effect on children's mental health was also highlighted, with nearly seven in 10 caregivers reporting that their children seemed anxious, nervous or worried.

“Increasing investment in essential services for children – critically education, health and social protection will help mitigate the impact of the crisis, ensure the well-being and survival of future generations and contribute to economic recovery,” Mr Beigbeder said.