Children are protected from all types of violence and are given equal access to education and health

Guarantee equal rights and civic duties to all citizens

Children rights covered by the UN Conventions of the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified by Lebanon in 1991, with a main focus on:

• Health & Nutrition, Water – Sanitation – Hygiene (WASH)

• Education

• Protection (from child labor, physical abuse, and other types of violence)

1. % Children not attending school
2. % School drop-outs
3. % Girls attending school
4. % Children forced to work
5. Mortality for less than 5 years
6. Child marriage
7. Realization of Children's Rights Index (RCRI)

1. Lebanon still needs to do a lot to fulfil the CRC’s responsibilities.
2. 1.4 million children across all nationalities live in deprivation, and are less likely to remain in school, grow up healthy, and transition into a decent job.
3. 12.9% and 3.9% children aged 0-59 months suffer from diarrhea episodes and Acute Respiratory infections in vulnerable localities (Beirut, Akkar); Only 25% of 0-23 months infants were breastfed in the previous day1; Many poor children are without access to safe drinking water or toilets.
4. About 10% of children do not attend school; The dropout rate from high-school cycle is high, more so for children with disabilities and children with learning difficulties; There is a large disparity in quality of education between public and private schools, and between affluent and more vulnerable, usually rural localities.
5. 7% of children are forced to work to help out their families; More than 10% of young Lebanese women say they had been married before the age of 18; Incidence of sexual violence and abuse of children is still high, and the law still absolves a rapist from legal and criminal responsibility if he marries the victim; High incidence of street kids and child beggars; Corporal punishment is still practiced and accepted

1. Weakness of the State and political instability (including sectarian/regional divides, recurrent emergencies and clientelism in government institutions) continue to limit complete compliance with the CRC.
2. The nation’s social protection network is weak and dominated by limited impact programs and fragmented initiatives.
3. The massive influx and presence of refugees has stretched the already weak public schools and primary health care centers
4. The implementation of a comprehensive Children’s Rights policy is fragmented among many public institutions and coordination by the HCC is weak
5. Many communities have negative social norms – these include views on child marriage and violence against children and women hence limiting the ability to thrive.
6. Data collection systems about living conditions of children that would allow the formulation of evidence-based policies is weak

1. Lebanon is a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) since 14 May 1991, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
2. Law 293 adopted in 2014 legislates new mechanisms to address family violence, but offers only limited child custody protections.
3. Law No. 422 of 2002, the ‘Protection of at-Risk Children or Children Violating the Law’, extends some protection to children victims of violence.
4. Law No. 150 issued in 2011 makes education compulsory and free for the basic education cycle (15 years) in public schools
5. MoSA National Plan to Safeguard Children and Women in Lebanon
6. Lebanese woman is not present in decision making
   • 8% on private sector leadership boards
   • 9% deputies in parliament

1. Develop a plan for improving equity and inclusion in the education system to benefit the poorest and most vulnerable children in Lebanon with a focus on early grades children to get a good start to their education, as they are the students most likely to drop out early without qualifications (Institutional Change).
2. Increase financial incentives for sending girls to school (Incentive).
3. Conduct awareness raising campaigns to promote prevention of abuse and violence against children, particularly within the family, community and school environment (Campaign).
4. Amend Law  293 to strengthen mechanisms to address family violence, and severely sanction all cases of abuse (Institutional Change +Tax).
5. Develop a national strategy to end child marriage in Lebanon (Institutional Change).
6. Abolish the legal articles that absolve a rapist from legal and criminal responsibility if he marries the victim (Institutional Change).
7. Unify child custody protections across all sects and religions by adopting a Unified Civil Code that manages issues such as divorce, and care of children (Institutional Change).
8. Provide awareness and education to mothers in every community, including refugees, on proper feeding techniques and requirements to access appropriate immunization against diseases (Campaign).