Dr. Hussein Sharara

Social protection for women in Lebanon is nowhere to be seen, leaving women incapable of finding shelters other than the roads, leading to the constant increase in the phenomenon. The reasons differ from one woman to another, some try to escape early marriage, others run away due to domestic violence while some suffer for reasons like poverty and old age.The patriarchal system casts a heavy shadow on women in Lebanon. Laila Qabbani, one of the women who became homeless because of her exposure to violence and expulsion from her family, suffers from such fate that led Qabbani to lay her bed on the ground under the Kola Bridge, where she found herself homeless.As for Fatima, there is a different story. She is an elderly Lebanese widow who sleeps on the sidewalk in Tripoli with no support from anyone. She was living with her grandson, who was taken by the Child Protection Directorate. That left her alone to suffer the tragedy of homelessness. She confirmed that she was ready to sell her kidney in order to pay the rent of the house that she and her grandson would stay in.

Ghosoun Farzat is another chapter in the series of women’s tragedies. She has been lying on the sidewalk of Ain al-Mraiseh Corniche since 2004. She tells her story and as per her words, "The problems began because my husband was always insulting me, and to me, the insult weighs heavier than the beatings. He then imprisoned me, took my property and my daughters when they were young after he accused me of trying to kill him, as well as claiming that I was mentally unstable.” Six months after her arrest, she came out of prison only to be surprised by her family's rejection of her, even her daughters. With the exception of her brother who supported her before his unfortunate passing. With that, Farzat had lost the only support she had left after losing her parents.Farzat added, "I resorted to the Corniche. I learned fishing from fishermen so that I could live, and ended up earning between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds. But after the beach was polluted by the sewage, I had to stop fishing."

These are some samples of the homeless women in Lebanon, sleeping on sidewalks, roads and under bridges. In the absence of a clear social protection for women, what are the reasons for this phenomenon? Why is its impact on women more prominent?

Violence Haunts Women

In this subject, social psychologist Dr. Lina Hijazi confirmed that domestic violence is a primary motive for women to flee and remain homeless. The causes are divided into three categories: physical, psychological and sexual. Some of the girls who were forced to leave their homes due to the physical or sexual abuse go by the age of 15 and 16.” Hijazi considers that teenage girls have become more daring than those in the previous generation leading them to leave their homes after being exposed to violence. This is all due to the high level of awareness brought about by the spread of social networking sites. “Some cases of domestic violence forced the girls towards Leaving the parental home and taking refuge in their friend's or relatives' home, with that, they work under inappropriate conditions to raise enough money to rent a private home that often lacks protection and security. In addition, crises and man-made or natural disasters, such as the explosion of Beirut Port in the year 2020, and spread of mobile fires, as well as other causes that lead directly or indirectly aid in the increase of the phenomenon of homelessness. Not to forget that some families were forced to live in the same house in conditions that are psychologically and physically unsuitable for women.”¹

As for the results, Hijazi has determined: “The loss of shelter means a lack in the sense of security and protection. Consequently, the loss of social development and advancement that preserve women’s dignity will only lead them towards resorting to alternatives that will soil their honor. Therefore, homeless women become fearful of the present and filled with concern for their future due to psychological pressure and a lack of social integration, leading to classifying them as a second rate in a patriarchal society that lacks gender equality and encourages the oppression of women, increasing the chances them being exploited through a number of means including the abuse of the employer or the owner of the house, digital exploitation through sexual imagery as a result of their need for money.  There is also the exploitation of illegal activities such as drug addiction, drug dealing, and the use of sedatives in hope of relieving physical and psychological pain. These practices and conditions are often accompanied by a deterioration in the health of victims.”¹

Indicators of attacks against women according to studies of civil society organizations, the United Nations and the Internal Security Forces:

The Absence of Social Systems

Doctor of Sociology at the Lebanese University, Laila Shams El-Din, attributes the increase in the number of homeless people to the exacerbation of the factors contributing to the spread of vagrants, namely poverty, unemployment, family disintegration, lack of services, displacement caused by conflicts, domestic violence and disasters such as the explosion of the Port of Beirut.

These factors are but the results of the absence of social systems that should take care of those who lose shelter and lack the support of a breadwinner. Especially providing social support, health care, protection, safety and setting policies for the unemployed. “In the absence of reliable public policies, individuals are left in a weak position and are exposed to suffering, twice as much in the light of crises when the possibilities of homelessness are increasing.” The problem of homelessness is not limited to the loss of adequate housing, rather, it is the loss of social identity, the family’s embrace, physical security, and psychological balance. Homelessness in its broadest sense, "is not limited to people who have lost only their homes, but to every person who is threatened with losing their place of residence due to private reasons or even outside influences, as well as every person who does not have the financial ability to maintain their house."⁹

The Role of Associations and Government Agencies

Many civil organizations and associations in Lebanon provide logistical and advisory services to women who are subjected to violence and discrimination. They work with the Lebanese state under the umbrella of the United Nations’ resolutions that aim to enhance the role of women in social life and empower them culturally, economically and politically. Some of these organizations are: The National Commission for Lebanese Women, the Committee of Lebanese Women’s Rights, Women’s Charitable Society, Lebanese Committee to Resist Violence against Women, Maryam and Marta Group, Abaad, Enough Violence and Exploitation, and others.

In this regard, the advisor at the National Commission for Lebanese Women, Joumana Mufarrej, said that the commission is approaching issues concerning women, including the issue of the absence of social protection for women by addressing its causes with a plan of three tracks: Consultative work with the government to formulate policies, coordinated work with government institutions and civil associations as well as executive work to follow up on strategies and plans. Mufarrej said, "The authority is working to encourage equal roles between men and women in the economic and professional fields to face the challenges of unemployment and poverty among women. And to break the accumulation of capital that men acquire through differentiation in the distribution of inheritance, the preference for signing contracts, bank loans, real estate guarantees, and other means of discrimination through similar situations. This is all caused by the domestic and family responsibilities entrusted to women, which constitute an obstacle to their economic and financial advancement compared to men. Many women have faced the challenge of being homeless after the forced closure due to the Corona pandemic by losing their jobs (at higher rates than men). Subsequently, their endurance to psychological pressures and physical violence, which increased significantly during this period, as the abused woman stood face-to-face with the abuser alone. Another problem could also be the inability of the shelters to accommodate the full numbers of battered women during the pandemic due to the conditions of isolation and prevention of the epidemic.

The commission is also working with the Ministry of Education to confront this phenomenon through a campaign to educate girls in schools to report cases of domestic violence. For Mufarrej, underage marriage is one of the causes of homelessness, “a phenomenon that traditional societies still adopt; especially rural ones; which is considered part of their culture and traditions. It is nothing more than human trafficking, as the commission is working on enacting a law through Parliament prohibiting the marriage of minors under the age of 18 as it is an issue of general regularity and should not be followed by personal status.”¹⁰

Absence of Numbers

The statistics and studies contained in the above chart refer to a set of challenges that women face and push some of them to remain homeless, including: poverty, domestic violence, physical, sexual and psychological abuse, underage marriage, economic problems, social and then psychological challenges. Protection is ranked second among the priorities of girls and women in Lebanon, while securing food and material income is ranked first. On the other hand, studies show a decrease at the rate of which exposure to domestic or verbal violence (the most common type of violence that women are exposed to in Lebanon) is being reported. For example, nine out of ten women did not report the violence they experienced, and only one woman out of ten resorted to the security or judicial authorities to report violence.

Index Of Challenges Women Face in Lebanon

"The current crisis in Lebanon affects everyone, throughout the country, and women bear the brunt of the impact of this multifaceted crisis," said Najat Rushdie, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. From women and children over a wide geographical area, do not feel safe in public places, such as streets and markets.”¹³

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1- An interview with Dr. Lina Hegazy, a specialist in clinical social psychology.

2- Office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, “The National Strategy to Combat Violence against Women and Girls in Lebanon (2019-2029), ESCWA and UNFPA.

3- "The Sixth Periodic Report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Lebanon", The National Commission for Lebanese Women, Beirut 2019.

4- An-Nahar newspaper, "A campaign always for its time, shocking numbers of violence against women: 95 percent need protection." (November 25, 2021).

5- Sarah Matar, "Violent Women Captive to Pain and Home in Lebanon." Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper, (April 15, 2020),

6- UNICEF, (17 December 2021), https://www.unicef.org/lebanon/ar/

7- An-Nahar newspaper, previous reference.

8- Lebanon 24, "The rate of domestic violence in Lebanon increased by 96.5%... and a reminder of the hotline." (February 3, 2021).

9- Nagham Sharaf, "Sleeping on the sidewalks, the raw face of the homelessness crisis in Lebanon." Raseef 22 (15 June 2022) https://raseef22.net/article/1088210

10- An interview with Mrs. Jumana Mufarrej, a consultant at the National Commission for Lebanese Women

11- Zainab Hammoud, “Domestic violence is spreading silently: an increase of 200 percent,” Al-Akhbar newspaper, (December 8, 2021).

12- telephone interview.

13- Najat Rushdie, United Nations, Humanitarian Aid. (June 16, 2022) https://news.un.org/ar/story/2022/06/1104902