Syrian migrants and refugees face discrimination and isolation in war-torn Lebanon

 

Alaa says he and his family walked for four days to reach Sidon. 

Sarah El Sirgany/CNN

What Alaa’s family needs more than anything are toilets.

“Our women hold it in until the night and then go relieve themselves behind the cars for privacy,” Alaa says. “It’s a matter of dignity. We care about our dignity, just like you.”

His is one of dozens of Syrian families camped out in a parking lot in the heart of Sidon, southern Lebanon’s largest city. Due to widespread discrimination against migrant workers and refugees, they are cut off from the dwindling resources of a city already struggling to house thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment further south.

The nearby mosque prevents them from using its toilets, and they are barred from entering the schools-turned-shelters dedicated to displaced Lebanese. They are constantly harassed by citizens and city officials, Alaa says.

This parking lot in Sidon has turned into a makeshift camp for Syrian IDPs buzzing with children. 

Charbel Mallo/CNN

After delivering an angry tirade, Alaa sits on the pavement next to his family. A couple of blankets hanging between two poles grants them a bit of privacy. Around them, families rest on straw mats and mattresses recently provided by the United Nations refugee agency.

The people here constantly move their children and belongings to wherever the surrounding tin roofs might cast some shade from the punishing sun. It looks like an encampment in a state of flux.

Many families have approached CNN journalists thinking we are representatives of an aid agency, asking to be registered so they can receive food and medication for their children and elderly.

“Some NGOs donate a meal every now and then, but we mainly rely on the money we have to buy food for everyone,” says Ibrahim, a Syrian agricultural worker.