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Refugees in Lebanon caught in vicious debt cycle

Briefing Notes, 20 November 2015

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards to whom quoted text may be attributed at the press briefing, on 20 November 2015, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Nearly 90 percent of the more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are in deepening debt, according to the findings of a new survey by UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP. The survey was based on an assessment of more than 4,000 refugee households and over 100,000 family visits this year.

The amount of money Syrian refugees owe to landlords, shop owners, friends and relatives has jumped 22 per cent in 2015. Savings are exhausted, ability to find work is diminished, and humanitarian assistance has dwindled due to shortages of funds. The average accumulated debt per Syrian refugee family per month is now US$842, an increase of US$180 from last year. Refugees are borrowing to cover basic needs rent, food and healthcare and successive small amounts are becoming unshakable burdens.

Nearly 40 per cent of refugees are in debt to their landlords, typically being more than two months behind on their rent. One father we spoke to was five months behind with his rent for a small patch of private land on which he has put up a makeshift tent. He was desperately hoping not to be evicted this winter. [See our video story out today] Thirty nine per cent of refugees surveyed said they are not getting medical care because of the high costs of treatment and drugs. People are coping by cutting the number of meals per day, and reducing portion sizes. But many but still have to borrow money from shop owners, friends or relatives to feed their families. Meat is rarely consumed and eggs are eaten only once a week, at best. Many adults are eating less to make sure their children are fed.

The percentage of refugee households buying food on credit has jumped to more than 75 per cent from 30 per cent in 2014, and 19 per cent in 2013. Part of the reason for this is cuts in WFP food assistance that came into effect in July. Last year, three quarters of refugees were receiving food assistance of $30 per person, per month. Today, just over half of refugees receive any food assistance and the amount they receive has fallen currently standing at $21.60 per person per month.

Overall, it's estimated that 70 per cent of refugees in Lebanon are now living below the national poverty line of US$3.84 per day. And they are being forced to prioritize between vital but competing needs. As well as reducing calories and nutrients in their diets and ignoring ailments, people are increasingly withdrawing their children from school, often sending them to work in an exploitative informal labour market. They face greater risks of being evicted from their homes and, as their ability to pay off debts wanes further, they are likely to lose the trust of lenders worsening relations with the host community.

The vulnerabilities of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been compounded by additional requirements that have been in place since January relating to their stay in Lebanon. Residency must be renewed every six months, and to do so registered refugees of working age have to sign a notarized pledge not to work. Most Syrian refugees who work do so informally, finding jobs in agriculture or construction for a few days each month, typically earning no more than US$15 for a 12-hour working day. Women and children earn as little as $4 for a day's agricultural work.

UNHCR advocates for refugees to be allowed to support themselves where possible, while recognizing the need to avoid disruptions to local labour markets. We are recommending that the pledge not to work be waived or, at least, re-worded so that refugees can work in certain sectors such as agriculture or construction in line with Lebanese law and where there is demand. These are traditional sectors of activities for Syrian workers in Lebanon. We are also advocating for investments to be made in Lebanese businesses where there is scope to help local business and, indirectly, create livelihood opportunities for needy Lebanese and in turn for refugees- such as in textiles, food processing, environmental services, agriculture and construction.

Without better funding, humanitarian agencies are not able to increase aid, aggravating the now endemic debt trap faced by the overwhelming majority of refugees in the country.

Lebanon's appeal of USD 1.87 billion for 2015 is currently funded at only 45 per cent.

The Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR) in Lebanon will be published on UNHCR's data portal next month. The Executive Summary is available here

More Information:

UNHCR has released a video today about a Syrian refugee's struggle with debt, available on our YouTube channel here

Media can download:

Video international version here

Script/shot-list here

For more information on this topic, please contact:

  • Dana Sleiman in Beirut +961 71 910 626
  • Ariane Rummery in Geneva +41 79 200 7617
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Stateless in Beirut

Since Lebanon was established as a country in the 1920s there has been a long-standing stateless population in the country.

There are three main causes for this: the exclusion of certain persons from the latest national census of 1932; legal gaps which deny nationality to some group of individuals; and administrative hurdles that prevent parents from providing proof of the right to citizenship of their newborn children.

Furthermore, a major reason why this situation continues is that under Lebanese law, Lebanese women cannot pass on their nationality to their children, only men can; meaning a child with a stateless father and a Lebanese mother will inherit their father's statelessness.

Although exact numbers are not known, it is generally accepted that many thousands of people lack a recognized nationality in Lebanon and the problem is growing due to the conflict in Syria. Over 50,000 Syrian children have been born in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict and with over 1 million Syrian refugees in the country this number will increase.

Registering a birth in Lebanon is very complicated and for Syrian parents can include up to five separate administrative steps, including direct contact with the Syrian government. As the first step in establishing a legal identity, failure to properly register a child's birth puts him or her at risk of statelessness and could prevent them travelling with their parents back to Syria one day.

The consequences of being stateless are devastating. Stateless people cannot obtain official identity documents, marriages are not registered and can pass their statelessness on to their children Stateless people are denied access to public healthcare facilities at the same conditions as Lebanese nationals and are unable to own or to inherit property. Without documents they are unable to legally take jobs in public administrations and benefit from social security.

Children can be prevented from enrolling in public schools and are excluded from state exams. Even when they can afford a private education, they are often unable to obtain official certification.

Stateless people are not entitled to passports so cannot travel abroad. Even movement within Lebanon is curtailed, as without documents they risk being detained for being in the country unlawfully. They also do not enjoy basic political rights as voting or running for public office.

This is the story of Walid Sheikhmouss Hussein and his family from Beirut.

Stateless in Beirut

Thousands of desperate Syrian refugees seek safety in Turkey after outbreak of fresh fighting

Renewed fighting in northern Syria since June 3 has sent a further 23,135 refugees fleeing across the border into Turkey's southern Sanliurfa province. Some 70 per cent of these are women and children, according to information received by UNHCR this week.

Most of the new arrivals are Syrians escaping fighting between rival military forces in and around the key border town of Tel Abyad, which faces Akcakale across the border. They join some 1.77 million Syrian refugees already in Turkey.

However, the influx also includes so far 2,183 Iraqis from the cities of Mosul, Ramadi and Falujjah.

According to UNHCR field staff most of the refugees are exhausted and arrive carrying just a few belongings. Some have walked for days. In recent days, people have fled directly to Akcakale to escape fighting in Tel Abyad which is currently reported to be calm.

Thousands of desperate Syrian refugees seek safety in Turkey after outbreak of fresh fighting

The Winter Triplets: a Bitter Sweet New Year's Tale

The birth of triplets on New Year's Day in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley should have been cause for celebration, but there was a terrible cost attached. The newborns' mother, Syrian refugee Amal, died shortly after giving birth, never having a chance to see her boys.

In a twist of fate, Amal's own mother had died giving birth to her. Amal, whose name means "hope," had been excited at the prospect of having triplets and had been confident about the birth. She named the three boys before they were born - Riyadh, Ahmed and Khaled - and told her husband to take good care of them in case anything happened to her.

The weather in the Bekaa Valley seemed to reflect the torment of Amal's family. Less than a week after she died, the worst winter storm in years swept through the region bringing freezing temperatures and dumping huge amounts of snow across the Bekaa. And so this family, far from home, grieve for their loss as they struggle to keep their precious new members safe and warm. Photojournalist Andrew McConnell, on assignment for UNHCR, visited the family.

The Winter Triplets: a Bitter Sweet New Year's Tale

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