Fafo-report 409

Ole Fr. Ugland (ed.)

Difficult Past, Uncertain Future

Living Conditions Among Palestinian Refugees in Camps and Gatherings in Lebanon

ISBN 82-7422-398-5
2003 298 s kr 398,- Ordrenr: 409 Bestilling

Web edition (pdf 1.27MB) Arabic version (pdf 9.8 MB) * More publications on this subject

In 1948, one hundred thousand Palestinians fled to Lebanon from what is today Israel to find refuge from the war. Temporary camps were established to provide them with immediate shelter, while UNRWA was established to cater for their basic needs.

More than half a century later, the refugees are still in Lebanon, and they have grown in number. While some are well integrated into Lebanese society, the majority live on the borderline of that society; tolerated, but not integrated. Most reside in camps that are still precarious settlements, or they live in clusters of Palestinian homes outside the camps.

The Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are commonly described as facing the worst living conditions of the Palestinian refugees in the region. Limited employment opportunities, scant economic resources as well as difficult access to basic health and social services are among the factors accounting for this situation. However, little empirical information has so far been available to document their social and economic situation in a coherent fashion.

Based on a comprehensive household survey, this report pictures current living conditions among the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Wide in context, the report documents the situation in terms of demography, health, education, employment, social networks and public life.

The survey was implemented jointly by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Damascus, and Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies, Oslo. It benefited from both the acceptance of the Lebanese Government and the participation of the refugees themselves. The project was sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 A Difficult Past, An Uncertain Future
1.2 The Surveyed Population
1.3 Community Types and Geographical Distribution
1.4 A Conceptual Model of Living Conditions
1.5 Report Outline

Chapter 2 Population
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Population Structure
2.3 Marriage
2.4 Fertility
2.5 Infant and Child Mortality
2.6 Household Size and Composition
2.7 Migration
2.8 Relatives Abroad

Chapter 3 Health and Health Services
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Self-assessed General Health
3.3 Chronic Illness and Disability
3.4 Functional Impairment
3.5 Psychological Distress
3.6 Medical Consultation and Treatment
3.7 Medical Insurance
3.8 Satisfaction With Medical Services
3.9 Maternity Care
3.10 Risk Behaviour and Environmental Effects

Chapter 4 Education
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Educational System
4.3 Educational Attainment
4.4 Illiteracy
4.5 Enrolment and Drop-out
4.6 Parental Attitudes to Education

Chapter 5 Employment and Working Conditions
5.1 Introduction
5.2 A Snapshot of the Labour Market
5.3 Determinants of Labour Force Participation
5.4 Labour Utilisation
5.5 Employment Characteristics
5.6 Working Conditions

Chapter 6 Household Economies
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Household Incomes
6.3 Who are the Affluent and the Poor?
6.4 Economic Wealth
6.5 Past Experiences and Future Expectations

Chapter 7 Housing and Environment
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Community Profiles: Community Origins and Damage from Armed Conflict
7.3 Physical Aspects of the Dwelling
7.4 Land and Reported Ownership
7.5 Infrastructure Amenities, Sanitation and Environment
7.6 Indoor and Outdoor Environment
7.7 Neighbourhood Resources and Services

Chapter 8 Social Networks
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Family Life and Extended Family Networks
8.3 Satisfaction with Neighbours, Distance to Relatives and Friends
8.4 Marriage and the Family: Autonomy in the Choice of a Spouse and Kinship Relation Among Spouses
8.5 Connectedness of Family Networks
8.6 Determinants of Strong Family Ties
8.7 Social Networks and Well-being

Chapter 9 Social Participation
9.1 Introduction
9.2 News Consumption
9.3 Participation in Social Organisations
9.4 Women’s Freedom of Movement
9.5 Domestic Violence
9.6 Attitudes Towards the West

Chapter 10 Putting the Pieces Together
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Market and Infrastructure Availability
10.3 Market and Infrastructure Utilisation
10.4 Household Resources
10.5 Future Needs

References
Annex1: The LIPRIL Sample