COVID-19 in Lebanon: A New Chapter of Refugee Fragility
A picture of a child in a camp in Arsal holding up a sign about the plight of refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic
By Karen Rahme | Lebanon Support
Lebanon’s nation-wide lockdown meant to protect residents, and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, has disproportionately affected the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable populations. The global health crisis has notably compounded the detrimental results of a collapsing economy. For Syrian refugees, already struggling in terms of freedom of movement (or lack thereof), all the while living under the extreme poverty line, home confinement has only worsened livelihoods and living conditions, and further constrained already restricted access to public services.
Prior to the spread of COVID-19, Syrian refugees, only 22% of whom have legal residency, faced great difficulties in terms of movement, due to the ubiquitous checkpoints around the country. As they fear arrest, detention, and deportation, they often forgo accessing services such as healthcare, among others. In commenting on the lack of legal status, and the sponsorship system as a whole, Fatima Ibrahim, Project Manager at Refugees=Partners, noted the following: “It’s a [vicious] cycle that always restricts accessing the most basic rights, and pretty much everything, and you live in a constant fear, so that is something that really needs to be solved.”
The freedom of movement of Syrian refugees, long constrained by the discriminatory curfews enacted by municipalities, has also been further restricted by additional measures exceeding, and preceding those imposed on nationals. In some cases, breaking the discriminatory curfew has led to violent backlashes in some localities. As such, the safety of Syrian refugees in attempting to access public services and pursue livelihood opportunities has become even more compromised.
Further, the multidimensional crisis in Lebanon has translated into job loss for many. With the loss of income, more and more Syrians are dependent on borrowing money, which in turn is accumulating additional debt. Although there is no clear data yet, this trend was noted during interviews with Fatima Ibrahim, and Virginie Lefèvre, Programmes and Partnerships coordinator at Amel Association. Although the latter communicated that there was an increase of aid targeting Syrian refugees, ultimately she noted that it ultimately does not compensate for the loss of income. The inability to pursue livelihood opportunities, amid the multidimensional crisis in the country, has translated into even more precarious living conditions, and hardships.
Indeed, the loss of income has greatly affected the already constrained access to basic necessities. Notably, 70% of Syrian refugees surveyed by the UNHCR in late April reported that they have reduced food consumption due to a lack of funds. Their restricted purchasing power was further exacerbated by the hyperinflation of prices of goods in the country, following the exponential devaluation of the Lebanese Pound (LBP). As hardships worsen, the need to survive hunger is overshadowing the need to comply with risk-reduction practices to protect oneself by self-isolating.
Not only threatening food security, income loss has also affected access to shelter. Syrian refugees unable to pay rent, already unaffordable prior to COVID-19, are forced to downsize. Indeed, Virginie Lefèvre also noted that some are moving into more overcrowded places, where social distancing is impossible, highlighting the clear tradeoff between safety and survival for Syrian refugees. In turn, Fatima Ibrahim also highlighted an increase in the number of evictions, in addition to an increase in incoming messages asking for help. The heightened difficulties linked to accessing and even maintaining shelter is increasing the vulnerabilities of Syrian refugees in several dimensions.
Prior to COVID-19, Syrian refugees’ access to the highly privatised and fragmented healthcare system was already a dimension of concern. Not only because of its unaffordability, but also due to the public health sector’s subpar services, oftentimes absent from disenfranchised peripheries. The restricted freedom of movement under the lockdown, coupled with the fear of being stopped at checkpoints, has dissuaded a great number of refugees from seeking healthcare services. Virginie Lefèvre noted a drop of at least 50% in the number of consultations in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs), with a paralleled slight increase in on-sight mobile medical units. She also mentioned that at the beginning of the lockdown there was a noticeable trend of refugees forgoing their medical treatments, at a time when health experts urged them not to. Indeed, the latter is linked to a fear of crossing checkpoints, and being asked for legal documents. Although General Security had decided not to deport undocumented Syrians refugees pursuing medical help, Fatima Ibrahim noted this decision was alarmingly not publicised, at a time when it was imperative to do so. Withholding this information has led to a trend of foregoing access to public services, and basic necessities.
Further, the living conditions of Syrian refugees, notably those in camps and informal settlements, obstruct their access to clean water, affecting overall sanitation and hygiene as plainly stated by Virginie Lefèvre: “When you don’t have enough water, it is quite difficult to wash your hands”.
WASH actors have increased their efforts to increase the supply through water trucks. Although this process is not sustainable, it is the only alternative available as these actors are not allowed to construct anything permanent. WASH actors have also been distributing hygiene kits, sanitisers, gels, in addition to providing awareness sessions to teach risk-reduction practices. However, the continuity of these practices are threatened by the inability to self-afford hygiene supplies, the impossibility of social distancing in overcrowded settings, in addition to the prioritisation of seeking livelihood opportunities to survive.
Access to education has been further restricted by the lack of online tools facilitating the continuation of the curriculum during quarantine. As noted by Virginie Lefèvre and Fatima Ibrahim, the learning materials are being sent via Whatsapp, with no better alternative. Prior to COVID-19, more importance was given to increasing enrollment rather than providing technological tools for online learning. This situation has currently led to the partial or total interruption of learning for many. Virignie also highlighted that, due to deterioration of socio-economic conditions in the country, it is expected that a high number of Lebanese students will move from private to public schools. Indeed, this will affect the enrollment of Syrian refugees in the overstretched public school system. This interruption has raised concerns about the potential increase in child labour and early marriages.
Although there is no clear data yet, Virginie Lefèvre noted that social workers from Amel Association have noticed an increase in incidents of domestic violence in Syrian refugee households. The deterioration of socio-economic living conditions, the pandemic, and the lockdown, and with the decrease in human contact, indeed are greatly affecting the mental health and psychosocial well-being of vulnerable populations.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has presented a new volume in the deterioration of refugee rights in Lebanon, further sharpening prevalent multidimensional vulnerabilities. Precarious employment and loss of income, coupled with discriminatory restrictions on, and general fear of, movement have only worsened access to basic services, livelihoods and living conditions, ergo introducing a new chapter of fragility. Alarmingly, although the virus does not distinguish between nationalities, the government has yet to actively include refugee populations in national frameworks tackling the right to protection and access to public services, namely, healthcare. The non-viral byproducts of COVID19 continue to constrain every aspect of Syrian Refugees’ daily lives, it is left to be seen how circumstances will continue to unfold in the country amid a collapsing economy.