Enhanced Protection and Support to the Most Vulnerable Children, notably Refugee Children, in Lebanon

The growing number of children struggling to survive means that many are now coming in contact with the justice system either as (alleged) offenders, victims or witnesses. In the first half of 2023 alone, there was a 29% increase in children in contact with the law. While many of these children are already from a poor socio-economic background, they often face re-victimization in a justice system ill-equipped to address their rights and needs. Professionals, including police, prosecutors, and judges, lack specialised training to handle child victims and witnesses, leading to procedures that are rarely child-sensitive.

Equitable access to justice for children in Lebanon further remains a significant challenge. Discrimination and social stigma, particularly against minority groups like Syrian and Palestinian refugees, worsen access to justice, potentially pushing children towards informal justice.

19’000 beneficiaries, with over 9’000 unique beneficiaries (ca. 5’000 children below 18, ca. 1’500 youth aged 18-24, and ca. 3’000 caregivers). The project will target vulnerable Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese and stateless children who are at risk of coming into contact with the law all over Lebanon, including 8 Palestinian camps.

Caregivers of children including parents.

Local stakeholders and authorities such as local communities, law enforcement, judges, lawyers.

Outcome 1: Children at risk and in contact/conflict with the law and their families/communities are informed, empowered and engage into new positive practices, with age-appropriate knowledge about the law, their rights, and the legal system.

Outcome 2: Girls and boys access quality case management, legal assistance, and justice services across formal and informal systems.

Outcome 3: Capacity of local non-profit organisations and stakeholders improved and led to an increased access to services and sustainable support for children and families.

Outcome 4: Child justice and child protection systems strengthened at various levels.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

• 2’655 at-risk girls and boys gained knowledge on their rights through awareness and counselling sessions
• 3’988 girls and boys received quality response specialized services, including legal assistance
• Capacities of 2’177 justice actors, NGOs, and stakeholders inside Palestinian camps are strengthened
• Legislation, policies, strategies are in line with international principles and best practices, and proposed reforms and revisions are evidence-based
• Collaboration and coordination mechanisms among relevant stakeholders are strengthened

Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

Key results:

• Previous phase of support to IRC demonstrated how direct support incl. legal services to ca. 1’900 children in contact/conflict with the law and the community (600 caregivers, over 400 security/justice actors) led to concrete outcomes: increase in cases successfully resolved in the best interest of children, delivery of child-friendly services by duty-bearers
• In addition, a Swiss secondment to UNICEF laid the basis for system-strengthening work on the justice system (analysis of gaps in the legal framework, training curricula for justice professionals, roadmap for alternatives to detention)

Insights and lessons learnt:

• Need to continue delivering services to children most in need, while strengthening the justice system and local service providers (NGOs) for a sustainable delivery of child-friendly legal and justice services (nexus & exit strategy)
• Need to combine expertise of partners based on their added value (UNICEF for policy work, NGOs for service delivery)

The project complements the current Swiss portfolio:

1. PHRD support to justice reform with UNDP
2. SDC support on birth registration and early marriage with NRC and to child protection/child labour through the education & income portfolio (Save the Children, Plan International, Danida Regional Development and Protection Programme)
3. A Swiss secondment to UNICEF on child justice will complement this intervention