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Crisis in Lebanon: The Voices of Women-Led Organizations (July 2024)

Since 2019, Lebanon has been experiencing a multi-faceted social, economic, institutional, political, and economic crisis that has severely impacted the lives of the population.
The economic crisis, characterized by currency devaluation, hyperinflation, widespread unemployment, and a massive flux of emigration of Lebanese youth, has been further exacerbated by the social and economic impacts of COVID-19, as well as the explosion in the Port of Beirut in 2020.

This multi-level crisis has decimated public services, exacerbated social inequalities, and has exponentially increased the risks and challenges facing marginalized and vulnerable populations. Women and girls, particularly those from marginalized groups, face heightened risks of gender-based violence (GBV) due to increased economic hardship, a lack of proper implementation of GBV protection public policies, a lack of accountability for perpetrators, and the lack of social support networks.

The socio-economic crisis has also worsened due to the political and institutional vacuum and void. This political instability and the proliferation of armed groups and the militarization of society further exacerbates the risk of violence against women and girls.

After the outbreak of conflict in Gaza in October 2023, the situation has further diminished in Lebanon, who hosts a very large refugee population (both Palestinian and Syrian, as well as from Iraq, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt). The southern regions bordering Gaza have been directly impacted and have also experienced high levels of displacement. The tepid growth that had been projected in the economy has since retracted, and there is significant direct impact in Southern Lebanon, compounding the pre-existing crises. Various NGOs and CSOs, as well as UN and INGOs, have changed their plans according to the crisis, with various international and national monitors assessing “the impact of the current conflict and its spill over on Lebanon’s economy and its growth prospects amid a prolonged political and institutional vacuum”.

With the continuing conflict in Gaza, there is an important risk of an exacerbation or escalation of conflict between Lebanon and Israel. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 82,012 people have been displaced since the war began in October from South Lebanon. The influx of displaced persons from southern regions will increase the risk of GBV for displaced women and girls due to the increase in overcrowded common shelters and a lack of access to basic resources.

Additionally, the economic crisis that is impacting Lebanon is exponentially increasing pressure on families and communities, increasing GBV risks and all kinds of violence against women and girls.

Furthermore, recent movements around the Middle East demonstrate a broader trend of push-back against gender equality wins and a shift towards conservatism, extending into the formal ban of the use of the word “gender” in Iraq under a directive from the Communications and Media Commission. This backlash has ramifications for the work of activists, academics, NGOs, and WLOs, particularly those focused on gender-related programming, advocacy, and activism. It is a disturbing reflection of the very real threat to reversal of any progress towards gender equality in the region. The shrinking and increasingly small civil space and frequent violent threats to individuals and organizations working in the space make GBV response and prevention work, which is already fraught with challenges, considerably more precarious.

In this context, civil society organizations (CSO), particularly those active at the grassroots level, are playing an essential role to provide services to communities affected by the multi-layered socio-economic crisis. These services range from legal aid clinics, psychosocial support, shelters for GBV survivors, training and raising awareness, campaigns on human rights, and discrimination facing vulnerable and marginalized populations. These CSOs are also active in the fields of advocacy and lead awareness activities, capacity development, coordination, networking, and research. Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) and Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) play a foundational role amongst CSO on the front-line of service response provision in the crisis.