(Beirut) More than a million children are at risk of direct violence in Lebanon, as the country suffers from an unprecedented socioeconomic and financial crisis, the UN warned in a new report on Friday.
Lebanon has been going through the worst economic crisis in its history since 2019, its national currency has already lost 90% of its value and four out of five Lebanese now live below the UN poverty line.
“One in two children is at risk of physical, psychological or sexual violence, while families struggle to survive due to the worsening crisis in the country”, indicates the report of the United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF).
“With the increase in tensions in the homes, the closure of schools due to the pandemic and the deterioration of social services, more than a million children in Lebanon are at risk of being victims of direct violence,” he said. document.
According to UNICEF, the number of child victims of abuse who are in the care of the agency has increased by 44% in one year, while the number of children affected by poverty has doubled to 1.8 million .
These children risk “forced labor or marriage to help their families meet their needs.”
A survey in October showed that 12% of families surveyed had sent at least one child to work, up from 9% six months ago.
Some, aged six, work on farms and on the streets or illegally sell fuel, putting their lives at risk, the report said.
Families, especially Syrians, are desperate to marry their daughters to obtain a dowry in exchange.
Lebanon claims to host more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled the war in their country.
“Some families in need abandon their infants in the street, not to mention the increase in kidnappings for ransom,” says the UN agency.