Poor Education, Socio-Economic Restrictions Threaten Palestinian Youth In Lebanon: The Case Of Bourj El Barajneh Camp - Ifi Research And Policy Memo #3

Research and Policy Memo #3 | December 2008
Poor education, socio-economic restrictions threaten Palestinian youth in Lebanon: the case of Bourj el Barajneh campJihad Makhoul,and Yara Jarallah
If the quality of education offered to Palestinian refugees, and employment and ownership restrictions remain as they are, adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 will resort to coping mechanisms such as drug abuse that young men in the camp suffer from today, says a research study conducted by Jihad Makhoul, DrPH, and Yara Jarallah, MS, in the Bourj el Barajneh refugee camp. The study is based on in-depth interviews conducted with adolescents and young men in the camp, in preparation for an intervention study with other AUB researchers.
The restrictions imposed on the Palestinians by the Lebanese state limit young men’s economic opportunities, making it harder to earn a living and plan a future. According to the study, these men suffer from feelings of hopelessness and despair which lead to psychological problems that often are dealt with through drug abuse. The lack of access to education outside UNRWA schools may lead the adolescent groups down a path similar to that taken by the young men in the camp.