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

1.The UN Conventions of the Rights of the Child (CRC) was ratified by Lebanon in 1991; areas of focus include:

• 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 is not presently complying with the CRC’s terms

2.1.4 million children across all nationalities live in deprivation, and are less likely to remain in school, grow up healthy, and find jobs

3.12.9% and 3.9% children aged 0-59 months suffer from diarrhea episodes and Acute Respiratory infections in vulnerable localities (Beirut, Akkar, etc.)

4.Many children do not have access to safe drinking water or toilets

5.About 10% of children do not attend school. The dropout rate from high-school is high, especially among children with disabilities and children with learning difficulties

6.There is a large disparity in quality of education between public and private schools, and between affluent and more vulnerable, usually rural localities

7.7% of children are forced to work to support their families

8.Incidence of sexual violence and abuse of children is high, as is the incidence of child beggars

9.Corporal punishment is still practiced and accepted

10.Over 10% of Lebanese women got married before the age of 18. The minimum legal age for marriage in Lebanon varies by religious confession as it is under the jurisdiction of personal status law (religious family law). Lebanon has 15 separate personal status laws which stipulate different ages from which a marriage can occur, starting at 9 for girls for both Sunni and Shia, and at 15 for Shia boys

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 of refugees has strained 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 Higher Council for Children is weak

5.The legislative framework for child protection is weak: The law still absolves rapists from legal and criminal responsibility if they marry the victim

6.Many communities have negative social norms – these include views on child marriage and violence against children

7.Data collection systems about living conditions of children that would allow the formulation of evidence-based policies are weak

1.Institutional and Administration framework: Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA), Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), The Higher Council for Children (HCC), and The National Committee for the Elimination of Child Labor

2.Since 1991, Lebanon has been a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) since 1996

3.Law 422 (2002), the “Protection of at-Risk Children or Children Violating the Law” extends some protection to child victims of violence.

4.Law 150 (2011) makes education compulsory and free for the primary education cycle (15 years) in public schools

5.Law 293 (2014) legislates new mechanisms to address family violence, but offers only limited child custody protections

6.The MoSA National Plan to Safeguard Children and Women in Lebanon was re-launched in 2020

7.As of 2021, Dar el Fatwa, the highest religious Sunni authority, sets the minimum age for marriage at 18

1.Develop a plan for promoting equity and inclusion in the education system to benefit the poorest and most vulnerable children in Lebanon, as they are the students most likely to drop out early, with a focus on early grades children to get a good start to their education (Institutional Change)

2.Increase financial incentives to send girls to school (Incentive)

3.Conduct awareness campaigns to promote the 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 & Command and Control)

5.Develop a national strategy to end child marriage in Lebanon, and pass a law banning marriage for minors under the age of 18 (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.Promote awareness and education among mothers in every community, including refugees, on proper feeding techniques and requirements to achieve appropriate immunization against diseases (Campaign)