There is no respite for Syrian women refugees in North Lebanon’s Akkar from the daily humiliations of sexual harassment. Impoverished and desperate, they are forced to work under abusive bosses, rent from shady landlords, and are even married off by their own fathers. Meanwhile, the local residents worsen the situation by claiming that “cheap” Syrian wives are “stealing our men.”
While examining reports about Syrian women refugees subjected to sexual harassment in Akkar, North Lebanon, images from the US invasion of Iraq come to mind. In Akkar, Syrians were received with open arms, but this welcoming environment later soured.
Until this day, we are haunted by mob scenes from the aftermath of the fall of Baghdad. Unfortunately, it seems as if we have been dragged into another primitive war, where triumphant soldiers act as they please in the lands of their adversaries. They can capture women, take away children, and make men their slaves. I’m exaggerating, right? Well, let’s see.
With a smirk on his face, Ali Taha, a councilman in the Akkar town of Tal Hayat, told us, “No one speaks honestly. It is a very sensitive subject, but sometimes a few stories leak in. We are in a little village, after all, and you cannot hide much! How should I explain it? Well, three to four women rent a house. The owner would have to sleep with … ” he counted on his hands, “the mother, the daughter, the sister, the grandmother!”
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-syrian-refugees-face-sexual-harassment-abuse