Public Health Issues

The Silent Suffering Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon


Very little is known about the Iraqi refugees’ experiences and living conditions in Lebanon. UN Higher Commission for Refugees estimates the number of Iraqi refugees who fled the war in Iraq and reside in Lebanon to be between 40 to 50 thousand, most of whom are dispersed in rural and urban areas of the country. The refugees witnessed or lived through traumatic experiences in Iraq, such as threats to their lives, abduction, killing, destruction and challenging humanitarian conditions of massive unemployment, shortage of water and food supply and economic distress. This forced them to flee their homeland to neighboring countries. Lebanon is considered one of the middle eastern countries where Iraqi refugees reside for a while [a transit country] until they get resettled in another country, usually Europe, Australia or America.

A study led by Professor Judy Makhoul explored the Iraqi refugees’ living conditions, needs and coping mechanisms in Lebanon through individual and group interviews. Although all of them came to Lebanon expecting to find security, peace of mind and temporary employment while they file for their resettlement papers, they were disappointed by a legal system that considers them as illegal migrants and denies them their rights as human beings. They found prosecution by the police, detainment in jails and deportation as well as discrimination in schools and temporary workplaces. The relief agencies, although active, have not been able to meet all health care, education and social needs.

A variation of experiences between the Christian refugees in the eastern suburbs of Beirut and the Muslim refugees in the southern suburbs is worth noting. The Christian refugees came to Lebanon legally with a temporary visa and by plane. The sense of community and social support were stronger among the Iraqis living in the eastern suburbs as they live close to each other and are served well by the relief agencies there. Their resettlement applications receive expedited reviews which gives them hope. As for the Iraqi families living in the southern suburbs, one could sense feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and attempted suicide. In comparison to the Christian refugees, they entered Lebanon with the help of smugglers for a fee and walked across the borders with their families to reach security. They are dispersed in the southern suburbs and therefore have very little sense of social support from each other. They were constantly fearful of being prosecuted because of the illegal status and the relief agencies do not reach all of them with their services and the turn around in the review of their applications is very slow.

The study calls for need for public recognition and of the Iraqi refugee situation in Lebanon by creating temporary status IDs that differentiate between non-violent war-affected refugees and illegal immigrants to avoid discrimination and police persecution of already traumatized victims of war. Pooling of inadequate agency resources and improving coordination among them will promote refugee health and better meet their needs.