Syrian women refugees in Lebanon face violence and exploitation

As part of its cooperation program with the UNFPA, the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) held yesterday a seminar entitled ‘Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon: the legal framework and the social and economic circumstances of women refugees’ at the association’s training center located in Baabda. NCLW secretary, Lawyer Fadi Karam outlined in a study the legal side of the refugee crisis, and called for “changing the memo of understanding between the Lebanese General Security and UNHCR regulating the presence of Syrian nationals in order to maintain security and stability through the adoption of several new measures. These measures include: the setting up of refugee camps along the borders, acknowledging the basic rights of refugees, facilitating the transfer of refugees to a third country and providing Lebanon with the required international aid. Similarly, Faten Ghanem, the coordinator of the Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Program at the Ministry of Social Affairs, spoke about the social and economic conditions of Syrian women refugees, pointing out to the fact that some “78% of the registered displaced Syrians are vulnerable women and children affected in varying degrees by gender or sexual based violence and that nearly 87% of all such cases, recorded in the first half of 2015 have taken place in Lebanon.” In conclusion, Ghanem recalled the main challenges confronting Syrian women refugees namely poverty, violence, harassment, sexual exploitation and low levels of education. (Al Mustaqbal, December 18, 2015)