Enhancing Community Security and Access to Justice in Lebanese Host Communities

This project aims to help Lebanese authorities provide basic security and justice services in host communities. Lebanese municipalities are the primary line of response to the Syrian refugee crisis despite being very under-resourced to provide the services they are expected to deliver. In host communities many people rely on informal mechanisms to resolve conflict and those with little social capital such as women youth and refugees may avoid claiming their rights altogether leaving grievances unaddressed. Project activities include: (1) strengthening the municipal police force; (2) developing an early warning and early response mechanism to monitor and respond to tensions in host communities; and (3) providing legal aid to vulnerable people especially women. The project also promotes measures to increase the number of female municipal police officers and sensitize both the judicial and municipal police to issues of violence against women.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) host communities and Syrian refugees have access to basic security services that respond to their needs; (2) the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities governorate/district-level authorities and the judicial police help municipalities respond to basic security needs; and (3) women and vulnerable groups have access to basic justice services.