Unmasking the systemic inequalities undermining refugee sexual and reproductive health and rights, intimacy, and access in Lebanon
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3185115 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J L Diab (0000-0003-4158-7728, Institute for Migration Studies, School of Arts and Sciences Lebanese American University Lebanon, corresponding author), Bechara Samneh (Institute for Migration Studies, School of Arts and Sciences Lebanese American University Lebanon), Alexandra Spencer (Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Global United Kingdom), Alexandra J Spencer (0000-0001-7958-6961, Open Data Institute), Aida Afandi (Palestinian Women's Humanitarian Organisation Lebanon), Arif Nur Afandi, Michelle Daigle (0000-0003-0948-4251, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Global United Kingdom) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | e70013-e70013 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Disasters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0361-3666 • E-ISSN: 1467-7717 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/disa.70013 |
| PMID | 40858511 |
| OpenAlex | W4413735549 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 28 |
This paper examines the barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services for refugees in Lebanon, focusing on Syrian, Palestinian, Iraqi, and Sudanese communities. Amidst Lebanon's socioeconomic crisis, the study highlights how legal restrictions, cultural norms, and discrimination limit SRHR access by these marginalised groups. Stringent admission criteria, high residency permit costs, and the cessation of refugee registration severely restrict refugees' mobility and access to essential services. Societal taboos around sex and intimacy further stigmatise and discriminate against refugees, particularly those with intersecting identities like gender, sexuality, race, and disability. We argue that SRHR acts as a key vector for restricting and conditioning the lives of crisis-affected people. The findings emphasise the need for humanitarian organisations to support legal reforms, cultural competency training, inclusive sexuality education, and better coordination of efforts. Addressing these systemic issues can improve SRHR outcomes for Lebanon's most vulnerable populations, promoting dignity and human rights for all
Dignity · Economic growth · Environmental health · Human rights · Human sexuality · Political science · Population · Refugee · Reproductive health · Reproductive rights · Sexual and reproductive health and rights · Sociology · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Human Rights and Development · Law · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma
Early marriage among Syrian refugees in Jordan
Noncommunicable Disease and Health Care-Seeking Behavior Among Urban Camp-Dwelling Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Integrating refugees into national health systems amid political and economic constraints in the EMR
Reproductive health in humanitarian settings in Lebanon and Iraq
Young lives disrupted
Advancing reproductive health on the humanitarian agenda
Stress, Marginalization, and Disruption
Early Marriage and Barriers to Contraception among Syrian Refugee Women in Lebanon
No Country of Asylum
Gearing up for PrEP in the Middle East and North Africa
The gender dimensions of sexual violence against migrant domestic workers in post-2019 Lebanon
On the margins of refuge
Perspectives of displaced Syrian women and service providers on fertility behaviour and available services in West Bekaa, Lebanon
Chasing gender equality norms
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |