Back to Contents ORIGINAL SOURCE: A Al-Jalil, la misère n’est pas aussi apparente que dans d’autres camps. Le lieu est calme, l’ambiance familiale. [Translation by Asylos.] (Source: Le Monde, “Avec des réfugiés palestiniens revenus au Liban après l’enfer en Biélorussie : « On a les mêmes problèmes qu’avant, des dettes en plus »”, 26 November 2021) UNRWA also released a short video in which residents from different camps shared their living conditions and personal struggles: “I am a Palestine refugee living in Ein el-Hilweh camp. We can no longer go to a doctor or a hospital. We can no longer afford the fees. We cannot afford medicines. Our children go to school without pocket money. My heart aches. Feel our situation, give us your attention, feel for us, feel for our children.” “My name is Salim Meshlawi from Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon. I am chronically ill and I have four children. Two of my sons are also sick. I am not working. I don’t have a job. My house is so humid. It’s my right as a human being to live a dignified life.” (Source: UNRWA, “Hitting Rock Bottom – Palestine Refugees in Lebanon Risk Their Lives in Search of Dignity”, 21 October 2022) A UNRWA survey on the social-economic situation of PRS in Lebanon also pointed out the challenging living conditions and increasing cost of living: “Around one in ten PRS families (12.8 per cent) do not have heating in their home. It is difficult to balance the high costs incurred by using electricity with the alarming poverty levels within the PRS population. This may indicate access to informal electricity power supplies, more so in the poorer camp PRS population (56 per cent) compared to 43.3 percent of PRS living outside camps. Conversely, more PRS families living outside camps admit using no heating device at 13.9 percent compared to 11.7 percent of PRS camp families. Climatic factors influence choices. Because harsh winters require more heating in the Beqaa, PRS families living in this area predominantly use the cheaper diesel option (91.7 per cent) and only 3.6 per cent use electricity. […] Only one in ten families report not having access to enough water for washing and toilet purposes (8.9 per cent). PRS outside camps are slightly more affected by either insufficient drinking water (28.5 per cent) or washing/toilet water (9.2 per cent) than camp PRS (25.8 per cent and 8.6 per cent, respectively).” “Most respondents perceive the PRS housing conditions’ quality as more or less low in terms of humidity, water leakage from roofs and walls, ventilation, and darkness/gloominess. The most prevalent defect is humidity/stains on the walls, which is reported by a majority of respondents as totally or significantly affecting the dwelling (58.9 percent of respondents). Around half of the respondents said their home was totally/largely prone to water leaks (48 per cent) or darkness and gloominess (48 per cent). Around one third of the dwellings (38.3 per cent) are claimed to suffer totally or largely from poor ventilation. In all respects, PRS inside camps are more critical of the quality of their dwelling than PRS outside camps, with differential percentage points ranging from +8.18 (humidity/ stains on the wall) to +2.85 (water leakages).” (Source: UNRWA, “Socio-economic Survey on Palestine Refugees from Syria Living in Lebanon”, 28 April 2021, pp. 52-54) Security in camps In its Protection Monitoring Report for the second quarter of the year 2022, UNRWA reported that: “The dire economic situation contributed to an uptick in reported levels of crime in the camp, particularly theft and robbery. These crimes have created an atmosphere of insecurity inside camps that inhibits the movement of some Palestinian refugees especially in central Lebanon and Tyre areas.” (Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter 2 (Q2) 2022”, 26 August 2022, p. 3) 11. Situation in the camps 119