UNICEF warns of severe child deprivation in Lebanon as displacement, economic tolls mount
“Without urgent and sustained action, an entire generation of children and young people risks carrying the scars of this crisis into adulthood,” UNICEF Lebanon Representative Marcoluigi Corsi said.
UNICEF has issued a dire warning about the extent of child deprivation in Lebanon, citing the economic toll of war and displacement. According to a new UNICEF assessment, 22% of Lebanese children are going to bed hungry, while 20% have been out of school for a year. The conflict began on March 2 when Hezbollah started hostilities with Israel in response to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran.
This triggered a mass displacement, with 1.2 million people forced from their homes at the peak of the conflict. Today, around 340,000 people remain unable to return to their original residences, with one-third of them being children.
The last six months of war have seen an average of seven children killed or wounded per day. Of the injured children, 12% now live with disabilities. Many families, now displaced and without jobs, struggle to meet their children's health needs, a threefold increase compared to six months ago. Nearly four in ten households lack access to necessary medicines, and 31% of children have not received the required healthcare, mainly due to cost concerns. Moreover, 34% of injured children did not receive necessary care.
Disruptions to water systems have affected 6% of surveyed households, increasing the risk of preventable diseases. Child labor rates have risen, with over 70% of families reporting difficulty affording basic necessities, and 22% stating that their children went to bed hungry in the past two weeks. Nearly half of households with children under five said they could not provide a varied diet. Additionally, 14% of families had children forced to take up jobs, a stark increase from January 2025.
The impact on education is equally severe. At the height of the conflict, 433 public education institutions were transformed into shelters, affecting around 100,000 children. Additionally, 436 schools were damaged, and 37 were completely destroyed. This scarcity of learning institutions has left 76% of families struggling to meet their children's educational needs, with 46% having to reduce education-related expenses and 17% stopping their children's education altogether.
One in five households reported their children did not attend school last year, and for those who did, 29% were unable to learn fully, often due to emotional distress. UNICEF's Lebanon Representative, Marcoluigi Corsi, warns that without immediate action, an entire generation of children may suffer long-term consequences.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
