BEIRUT:
Over three-quarters of displaced Syrians in Lebanon are women and children,
according to a report Friday by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees. The UNHCR’s weekly inter-agency report also states that the Lebanese
government, U.N. agencies and other non-governmental organizations are
continuing to assist some 26,000 Syrian refugees across Lebanon, with just over
17,000 of these officially registered with the UNHCR.
The
vast majority of refugees are in the north of the country: 13,557 people who
are registered, and another 3,000 unregistered refugees are in Tripoli and its
surroundings. There are also around 9,000 refugees in the Bekaa and some 900 in
Greater Beirut, the report states.
Among
the most urgent needs for Syrian refugees living in Lebanon are food and basic
nonfood items, shelter, medical care and psychosocial support, the report says.
Most of the refugees fled because of fighting in their villages, and “have been
deeply affected by the loss of their homes, communities and many have lost
loved ones.”
The
reluctance of the government to provide circulation permits to refugees, the
report says, “has meant that they are confined to small areas, unable to move
freely in search of work. This confinement is difficult for many to bear,
particularly those who would like to provide for themselves and their families
and not rely on humanitarian relief.”
The
insecurity along the border between Syria and Lebanon is providing a further
challenge, the report says.
Recent
weeks have brought an increase in kidnappings and fatalities across the border,
which, the report adds, is “threatening the safety of refugees, residents and
humanitarian workers in those areas.”
The
U.N.’s agency for children, UNICEF, has recently received reports of children
participating in violence in Tripoli, the report also states.
The groups War Child
Holland and Save the Children are each planning to create “Child Friendly
Spaces” in the area in the hope that they “will provide opportunities for
meaningful participation alternatives to that of armed conflict.”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jun-02/175450-unhcr-majority-of-syrian-refugees-are-women-children.ashx#axzz1wcIIJFhZ
No comments:
Post a Comment