WUNRN
PALESTINIAN REFUGEE WOMEN IN LEBANON
LIVE IN FEAR OF BEING FORCED OUT OF THEIR HOMES
Norwegian Refugee Council
Direct Link to Full 90-Page 2013
Report:
Ahlam Abou Sahyoun is
a Palestinian woman from Saida,
By
NRC Olivia Kalis - 19-12-2013 - Many Palestinian refugee women in Lebanon live
in fear of being forcibly evicted from their homes. An NRC report and photo
exhibit gives insight into their situations.
Palestinian refugees often do not know how long they can
stay in their homes because they are not allowed to own land. Not being able to
rent, own or repair homes that they have lived in for decades, results in
serious consequences for Palestinian refugee women and their families.
It is even worse for female Palestinian refugees who have
little hope of owning a home, usually being dependent on their fathers and
husbands. As one woman explained, the path of a Palestinian woman is “from the
house of her father to the house of her husband.”
Along with the report NRC Lebanon is now hosting a photo
exhibit that provides a glimpse into the lives of four of these women.
Ahlam, a Palestinian woman from South Lebanon bought an
apartment with her husband. However, since a 2001 amendment to Lebanese law, as
Palestinians they cannot own or register property in Lebanon. So, they
registered their home in her sister’s name who as a Jordanian national can
legally own property in Lebanon.
“We do not have a normal family life. My husband has to work
in the Emirates because of the remaining payments due on our home. My sister
has the Jordanian nationality so we registered the apartment in her name. But
what if...?” says Ahlam Abou Sahyoun.
Since the Syria crisis, Palestinian refugees who have been
living in Lebanon for decades have become hosts for refugees fleeing from
Syria. Refugees hosting refugees has exacerbated the already difficult housing
conditions and has highlighted the lack of property rights for Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon.
“Since the Syria crisis started, we have seen Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon who have been living in camps and gatherings for decades
welcome Palestinian refugees from Syria. We do not know when safe return to
Syria will be possible and support is urgently needed to improve the poor
living conditions in the overcrowded refugee camps and gatherings for
Palestinians in Lebanon. Assisting people to have property rights is a concrete
way of providing support,” says Dalia Aranki, NRC’s programme manager.