Published : 26-01-2021
Hamas Office of Refugee Affairs issued its eighth annual report about the situation of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon in 2020, nine years after a tide of mass exodus to Lebanon saw the day in December 2012.
The report covered the precarious legal status and calamitous socio-economic conditions endured by Palestinian refugees who fled war-torn Syria to Lebanon.
The study found out that the number of refugees in 2020 remarkably shrunk back compared to previous years due to the deteriorating humanitarian condition, crackdowns perpetrated by the Lebanese authorities, and the large-scale anti-government protests sweeping the country for years running.
The report also attributed such a decrease to the poor health services, the lack of humanitarian assistance by such relief organs as UNRWA, costly visa-renewal fees, and lack of access to the local labor market.
According to information collected by UNRWA, more than 80 per cent of PRS indicate that the Agency’s cash assistance is their main source of income. 95 per cent of PRS are food insecure, while about 89 per cent of PRS live in poverty. 36 to 57 per cent of PRS youth face unemployment. In August and September 2019, UNRWA conducted a verification exercise of PRS in Lebanon and verified the physical presence of 27,803 PRS in the country.
The number of PRS in Lebanon has been gradually decreasing over the past two years, and UNRWA estimates that in 2020 the country will continue to host approximately 27,700 PRS (8,450 families). UNRWA said PRS’s vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. According to the Agency’s monitoring data, around 55 percent of PRS do not possess valid legal residency documents.
The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some PRS in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention and being issued a departure order.
Hamas Office of Refugee Affairs issued its eighth annual report about the situation of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon in 2020, nine years after a tide of mass exodus to Lebanon saw the day in December 2012.
The report covered the precarious legal status and calamitous socio-economic conditions endured by Palestinian refugees who fled war-torn Syria to Lebanon.
The study found out that the number of refugees in 2020 remarkably shrunk back compared to previous years due to the deteriorating humanitarian condition, crackdowns perpetrated by the Lebanese authorities, and the large-scale anti-government protests sweeping the country for years running.
The report also attributed such a decrease to the poor health services, the lack of humanitarian assistance by such relief organs as UNRWA, costly visa-renewal fees, and lack of access to the local labor market.
According to information collected by UNRWA, more than 80 per cent of PRS indicate that the Agency’s cash assistance is their main source of income. 95 per cent of PRS are food insecure, while about 89 per cent of PRS live in poverty. 36 to 57 per cent of PRS youth face unemployment. In August and September 2019, UNRWA conducted a verification exercise of PRS in Lebanon and verified the physical presence of 27,803 PRS in the country.
The number of PRS in Lebanon has been gradually decreasing over the past two years, and UNRWA estimates that in 2020 the country will continue to host approximately 27,700 PRS (8,450 families). UNRWA said PRS’s vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. According to the Agency’s monitoring data, around 55 percent of PRS do not possess valid legal residency documents.
The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some PRS in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention and being issued a departure order.
