HRW: Syrian refugee women in Lebanon harassed, exploited

Women refugees from Syria are being sexually harassed by employers, landlords, and even faith-based aid distributors in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday. Human Rights Watch interviewed a dozen women who described being groped, harassed. They said they did not report incidents to local authorities due to lack of confidence that authorities would take action and fear of reprisals by the abusers or arrest for not having a valid residency permit. "Women who have fled death and destruction in Syria should find a safe haven, not sexual abuse, in Lebanon," said Liesl Gerntholtz women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. "Government and aid agencies need to open their eyes to the sexual harassment and exploitation of these vulnerable refugees and do everything in their power to stop it." she added. Twelve female refugees from Syria, interviewed separately, told Human Rights Watch that they had experienced sexual assault, harassment, or attempted sexual exploitation, sometimes repeatedly, by employers, landlords, local faith-based aid distributors, and community members in Beirut, the Bekaa, and North and South Lebanon. Government of Lebanon and the United Nations should improve mechanisms for submitting sexual abuse complaints and ensure that refugees are not punished for filing complaints, Human Rights Watch said. As Lebanon struggles to cope with the massive influx of refugees from Syria, donor governments should substantially increase their funding of housing, food, health care, and basic needs for refugees to minimize vulnerability to exploitation, Human Rights Watch added.