A survey conducted by UNICEF shows that “Lebanese families can barely meet their basic needs despite significant cutbacks in their expenses. An increasing number of families are forced to send their children, some as young as six years old, to work in a desperate attempt to survive amidst the social and economic crisis sweeping the country.”
The survey paints a grim picture of the situation as the crisis continues to worsen for the fourth consecutive year, with severe consequences for children.
UNICEF stated that the report, based on the latest rapid assessment of children’s living conditions in Lebanon, reveals that approximately 9 out of 10 families do not have enough money to buy essentials, forcing them to resort to harsh measures to cope with the crisis.
The report further states that 15 percent of families have stopped their children’s education, marking an increase from 10 percent just one year ago. 52 percent have reduced their spending on education compared to 38 percent the previous year. Three-quarters of families have cut spending on healthcare, compared to 60 percent the year before.
Moreover, two out of every five families have been forced to sell their assets, up from one in five families doing so the previous year. More than one in ten families have had to send their children to work as a means of coping with multiple crises, with this number rising to nearly one in four among Syrian refugee families who sent their children to work.
You can read the full UNICEF report, “Future on Hold: Lebanon’s Deepening Crisis Shattering Children’s Hopes,” via the following link:
https://www.unicef.org/lebanon/ar/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84-%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1