Three years of civil war in Syria have caused over 2.2 million Syrians to flee across the country’s borders. To date, approximately 800,000 refugees, the majority of whom are women and children, have sought refuge in Lebanon where they have had little option but to rent cramped and inadequate accommodation, such as garages and unfinished/abandoned buildings in urban areas, erect tents on previously unoccupied land, or join long-term Palestinian refugees in their camps and gatherings. With dismal work prospects, most have depleted any savings or assets they brought with them and have rapidly become food insecure and vulnerable to a variety of threats, including eviction and sexual gender based violence (SGBV).
The situation has put significant pressure on Lebanese towns and villages where employment was already scarce and basic services were overstretched before the refugee influxes. With no sign of the war abating in Syria, tensions are growing between the refugee population and Lebanese host communities.
