Case Study 1: Hiba

Hiba is a 15-year-old Syrian refugee. Along with many other families, she fled Syria during the civil war and now lives in an informal refugee camp in Lebanon. In Syria, Hiba went to school and has a grade 6 education. Since arriving in Lebanon, she has received no schooling.

The living conditions in the makeshift camp are very poor and the people here face extreme poverty. There is no money for food, clothes or medicine when people get sick. Most of the refugees in Lebanon work low paying jobs, if there is work at all, and struggle to afford basic necessities.

Many people fear for their safety. Women are paid very poorly for their work and are often exploited because employers know they are desperate. The workplace is often an unsafe environment, and many women experience sexual harassment. Hiba’s father worries that she will develop a bad reputation if she is harassed or gets raped, and this will bring shame to the family.

Before the war, Hiba had planned to finish her studies at university before getting married and starting a family. Now, the living conditions are so limited that marriage seems like the only survival option that Hiba has.

Since Lebanon has no formal refugee camps, and the country’s economic resources are stretched to the maximum, the future for refugees seems bleak. Lebanon’s economic and security situation requires more international support, and the government requires increased financial aid so that more Syrian refugees can have access to education.

If things do not change, Hiba may become a child bride. This has consequences, as child brides are much less likely to get an education and therefore less likely to send their own children to school. With no education, job prospects dwindle, access to health care and a better life becomes much more difficult.