Child Refugee Crisis

In recent weeks, the refugees, who have been living in rented private accommodations were given eviction notices by the local authorities and told they must leave their home in just 10 days.

So far, at least 28 families have already had to leave and many still haven’t found an alternative place to stay. Those who have stayed are appealing the decision but many are facing increasing pressure to leave and fear they will be thrown out onto the streets in the coming days.

Tarek,* a resident who has been given an eviction notice said: “We were told to leave because Syrians were not welcome in the area. I had to move out before I got kicked out. I couldn’t imagine being forced to leave in the middle of the night like others were, so I saved my dignity and left with my wife.

“My 11-month-old baby was in the hospital receiving treatment at the time. I have also lost my job as a result. The situation is very desperate. I am worried about my family. I am not sure how we will get by."

The evictions are the first to hit the area but come amid growing calls for Syrian refugees to return to Syria, and follow on from various reports of evictions elsewhere in Lebanon.

The evictions risk putting extremely vulnerable children in further danger, as families now face ending up on the streets as the harsh winter approaches. The evictions will also force many children to drop out of school, and are likely to severely affect their physical and psychological wellbeing.

“These evictions are having an unimaginable toll on very vulnerable children who have already been uprooted from their homes at least once, suffered through war and extreme violence and now face the trauma of losing their homes once again,” said Allison Zelkowitz, Save the Children’s Country Director in Lebanon.

“If the evictions are not halted, these children could become destitute and homeless and risk losing what little sense of safety and normality they have had.

Since the outbreak of the war in Syria, Lebanon has taken in more than 1 million registered refugees, who now make up some 25 to 30 percent of the total population. 

Many of the children in al-Hadath have managed to enrol at schools in the area, however after being evicted they may face challenges finding new places. Many schools in Lebanon are full, and across the country nearly half a million Syrian refugee children are out of school.

Save the Children has worked in Lebanon since 1953. Last year we supported nearly 400,000 people – including 225,000 children – by providing education, shelter, child protection, and projects to improve families’ livelihoods and children’s rights.  As the evictions go ahead, Save the Children is preparing to provide financial support to evicted families to help them meet their children’s most critical needs.

STORY OF THE MONTH

Borak* and Nina* are from eastern Syria and fondly remember their lives before the war spending time with their family and friends. They felt so safe because they had so many loved ones around them. 

When the war hit, Borak and Nina fled Syria with their three children. They now live in a camp on the Greek island of Lesvos while they wait for their asylum application to be processed. All their children attend Save the Children’s Child Friendly Space and non-formal education activities in the camp. Their son Coban wants to be a civil engineer when he’s older, Ezin wants to be a doctor and Ester wants to be a famous gymnast or artist. Borak says he’s seen a big improvement in his children’s language skills since they started attending our programs.

Context:

More than 1.3 million people have crossed the Mediterranean since 2015, taking potentially perilous journeys to flee conflict, instability and persecution across the Middle East and Africa. So far this year, 3,165 migrants or refugees have arrived Europe by sea. 1,344 people have died or gone missing while crossing the Central Mediterranean to reach European shores this year. 

Along the route, children face extortion by smugglers, sexual abuse and exploitation, violence and trafficking. Many have been living for months in detention centres, which lack the right protection, information, and services they so desperately need.

Learn more about how Save the Children is keeping kids safe across these travel routes in the attached update. 

• EuropeanRefugeeCrisis_Program_updates_July2017.pdf (PDF)