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Friday, 29 March 2024

Lockdowns worsen the plight of Syrian refugees

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Lockdowns worsen the plight of Syrian refugees
Lockdowns worsen the plight of Syrian refugees

Among Syrian refugees in Lebanon, more are worried about starving than about the coronavirus.

Emer McCarthy reports.

In Lebanon's Bekaa Valley camp, lockdown is biting especially hard.

Younes Hamdou is a Syrian refugee and father to 16 children.

He cannot find bread.

Clean water is also scarce, illness rife and social distancing nearly impossible.

''Corona on one hand, the lack of jobs on the other.

Only you can cure your health problems. I can preserve my own health, you cannot do that.

The government cannot safeguard the health of every single person.

But the hunger is a catastrophe.

They have starved the entire population.

Lebanese are hungry.

Syrians are hungry.

Everyone in this country is hungry.'' With Lebanon suffering through a growing financial crisis that's seen major job losses and skyrocketing prices, the country has become less tolerant of its estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

Mireille Girard is the UNHCR representative in Lebanon.

"More people are really desperate.

We receive desperate calls of refugees everyday, we have refugees telling us the body of our children is ruined because of hunger and the quarantine.

What can you say to that?" In a survey last month, UNHCR found 70% were going hungry, while many could not buy soap.

Girard says refugees say they are more worried about starving than about the virus

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