"Not Even Children Get Their Rights Here": Syrian Refugee Children and Adolescents' Experiences with Education, Child Labor, and Mental Health in Lebanon

Background and Purpose: Lebanon is experiencing one of the worst socio-economic crises in recent history, which was exacerbated by COVID-19 and an explosion in the port of Beirut. The 1.5 million Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon have been disproportionately impacted by these crises, with children and adolescents facing dire consequences. According to the UNHCR, 61% of children aged 6-17 are out of school, and at least 17% of adolescents are engaged in child labor.

This situation is not unique to Lebanon. Over three-quarters of the global refugee population live in low- and middle-income countries, and the UNHCR estimates that 51% of refugee children are not in school. These alarming figures demonstrate the pressing need to investigate the experiences of these children and adolescents to determine how their mental health is being impacted and what supportive programs and policies are needed to protect them, address their and their families’ needs, and ensure them a brighter future.

Methods: This study explores the experiences of Syrian refugee children and adolescents from the perspectives of their caregivers. Twenty Syrian refugee women residing in Beirut with an average age of 37 participated in 45- to 90-minute long semi-structured interviews about their families’ experiences with displacement and resettlement in Lebanon. Children’s experiences with education, child labor, and mental health and caregivers’ aspirations for their children were explored. Two local refugee-serving nonprofits recruited participants through phone calls. Interviews were conducted in the local Arabic dialects then transcribed verbatim and translated to English. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was used to code the transcripts thematically using NVivo.

Results: Participants emphasized that their children’s education was crucially important to them, with most citing it as their primary goal in life. However, they experienced many barriers to accessing education, including cost, lack of spots for enrollment, and resistance to admitting Syrian refugees into schools. Children and adolescents enrolled in schools faced numerous challenges, including segregated classes, discrimination, and poor quality of education.

Those not in school either remained home every day, participated in informal education activities at nonprofits, or were involved in child labor, often under hazardous or exploitative conditions. These experiences varied by gender, with boys being more likely to work outside the home. Participants also shared examples of exposure to verbal or physical abuse inside or outside the home and lamented the denial of children’s rights and the loss of childhood. Children and adolescents’ mental health suffered because of these conditions and the trauma of displacement and the port explosion. Feelings of hopelessness, fear, and anger and physical manifestations of trauma, like enuresis, were described.

Conclusions and Implications: Syrian refugee children and adolescents in Lebanon face a multitude of cumulative challenges that are impacting their current wellbeing and future prospects. Though the resources and political will required for change remain limited, this study demonstrates the need for policies to improve the integration of refugee children in public schools and prevent child labor as well as programs to stabilize families’ economic situation and address mental and physical health needs.