Introduction
Despite their collective residence in Lebanon for over 60 years, the 422,188 registered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon lack the protection of basic refugee law and enjoy only limited rights and entitlements under national and international law. The majority live in crowded camps and informal gatherings under the primary 'leadership' of local Palestinian authorities (Popular Committees) who are mostly assigned by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), on the basis of local political factionalism.
Basic services, including health, education, social services, shelter and infrastructure rehabilitation are provided by UNRWA, though access varies by location (camp or gathering) and individual status (UNRWA registered, Government of Lebanon (GoL) registered and unregistered/non-ID). Incentives to complete secondary and higher education are few due in part to GoL and professional syndicate restrictions on employment in many 'protected' professions. Palestinians in Lebanon are further marginalised by legally restricted property rights, and, in the case of non-IDs, have been subject to arrest and detainment as illegal aliens. Within communities individuals, including disabled, elderly, single-headed households etc, face additional vulnerabilities where UNRWA services are unable to cover all their needs.
The camps themselves are characterised by high levels of poverty and overcrowding, with a critical lack of economic opportunities for youth and adults and limited organised social and recreational opportunities for all age groups. Gatherings suffer similar problems; although overcrowding is less of a concern, many lack basic infrastructure and all are ineligible for UNRWA shelter rehabilitation support and Water/Sanitation interventions. The gatherings fall under Lebanese jurisdiction and control, and Palestinians in these locations are typically subject to frequent negative discrimination by local authorities and police, compared to the Lebanese population who live alongside them.
In the absence of effective community policing and conflict-resolution mechanisms, Palestinians endure significant domestic and public violence. Personal safety and security are often under threat in the camps, which are characterised by frequent violence at all levels, from family to community. Sexual and gender based violence is prevalent (although rarely reported), and corporal punishment is widely used at home and in the schools. Some of the refugee camps, especially, have become havens for militant groups, some extremist, that recruit the young into their ranks and further widen the spiral of violence. In one extreme case, that of Nahr el Bared in northern Lebanon, an entire camp was destroyed in a 4-month clash during the summer of 2007.
Conflict between the Lebanese army and an extremist group (Fatah al Islam) resulted in the displacement of 30,000 refugees and the destruction of their homes and livelihoods.
Within this context outlined, in March 2009 the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) launched a 12-month protection project with the aim of enhancing the protection environment for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The project focuses primarily on communities in the south and includes the 5 camps and 23 gatherings in the areas of Saida and Tyr. DRC views this as a pilot project that will develop and test interventions that can be later adapted to other parts of Lebanon.
The project aims to achieve impact by tackling protection issues at three levels: firstly, at the individual level by providing direct support to highly vulnerable refugees including non-ID refugees and families from Nahr el Bared (NBC) displaced in southern Lebanon; secondly, at the community level, through improved awareness of protection issues, referral and response capacities; and finally, at the regional/national level through information dissemination, coordination and advocacy.
A critical first activity under the project has been to carry out an analysis of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) relating to protection issues at Palestinian household and community levels. Specifically, the analysis sought to identify issues affecting Palestinians related to safety and violence, dignity and discrimination and governance and responsibility, in addition to exploring positive coping mechanisms and community priorities for action. The results of this analysis are summarised in the following report.
Through this KAP analysis it is hoped that an improved understanding of protection needs at community level can be both shared with communities and key stakeholders and integrated into the DRC project. DRC believes that real change will only be possible when key community members are engaged in working to improve their own protection environment based on their priorities and solutions. The community perspectives on protection are presented here with this in mind.