The discussions and analyses around those shared stories mainly showed how livelihood issues affected –mostly negatively– the perceptions these communities have of one another.
The stories speak generally about «competition» over job opportunities. They reflect a feeling of injustice and exploitation among refugees, and one of anger, resentment and deprivation among host communities.
Beside the general impressions expressed throughout the workshops, grassroots narratives highlighted specific incidents of conflicts that arose on the subject of livelihood issues; incidents that had taken place between employees and employers, employees themselves and partners.
In some stories, incidents escalated and involved several individuals or groups. This doesn’t mean that there were no positive stories or experiences relating to livelihood issues. However, the general negative perceptions cannot be masked by citing some positive experiences.
Generally, the ways in which these stories were presented and discussed divide those who are mainly affected by the whole refugee crisis –i.e. refugees and host communities– into two adversary teams, rather than one team of victims facing the same system/situation. It reinforces the «competition» mind-set and leaves us with an «either-or» fallacy.
House of Peace’s newly published paper «Earning Livelihood: When Needs Face Fears» aimed at showing how people perceive this problem. At the same time, it presented the findings in a way that helps rise above the «Us vs Them» mentality and try to identify the main needs and fears of the people most affected by the refugees crisis in Lebanon.
In general, the livelihood problem, as illustrated by most participants, is that Syrian labours are taking over the jobs of the Lebanese in professions they occupy, or competing with them over the market and eventually affecting their income.
From one side, Syrians believe that Lebanese employers exploit them, as they have no rights and no means to protect themselves, and they blame the government for depriving them of the residency papers.
On the other side, Lebanese people who have lost their jobs entirely for Syrians, or whose income has dropped, blame Syrians primarily for that, and the government for not protecting their rights, or creating new job opportunities.
During the discussions that took place at the Social Peace workshops, participants attributed this ostensible «competition» to several reasons:
- The sharp rise in the numbers of Syrian labours in Lebanon.
- Syrians accepting lower salaries than Lebanese.
- The greediness of employers.
- High competence of Syrians in some handicraft occupations.
As previously mentioned, these insights were reached through storytelling and conflict analyses conducted by all participants. Most stories reflected Syrian perspectives as the majority of participants were refugees. However, stories form host communities were also heard. For instance, there was a story of a man who used to sell bread in one area. He had a fight with a refugee who came to sell bread in the same area, forcing locals to intervene. Roundtable discussions also brought more host community insights, which compensated for the modest representation during the workshops.
Collected stories were classified into 5 categories:
Compensation: stories about refugees not being paid for services they have provided. In all stories, refugees who were denied their rights couldn’t secure them back at a later time. And in some cases, those who demanded their compensations were assaulted by their employers and most of the assaults were not reported.
Child labour: many participants mentioned there has been an increase of child labour in Lebanon, especially among refugee communities. Related conflicts were mainly due to child abuse, resulting in an increase in tension between different families and job owners.
Noxious work conditions: these conflicts were in relation to refugees who were denied their basic rights at work, such as compensation for work-related injuries, access to restrooms and lunch breaks.
High vulnerability: stories that fell under this category highlighted incidents where refugee workers were abused or discriminated against because they represented the weakest actor. Stories were told about innocent people being accused of stealing, were forced to apologize even when they were not wrongdoers, or were threatened to accept unfair treatment because their employers are their residency sponsors.
Failed partnerships: As with any business partnership in a normal setting, it is very important to have a comprehensive partnership agreement. This unfortunately is not the case when it comes to partnerships between refugees and host community members in Lebanon, as Syrians are not allowed to establish businesses, resulting in many conflicts between former partners.
As mentioned earlier, the aforementioned collected stories demonstrate the issue of livelihood as a mere problem between refugees and their host communities. However, by further analysing these stories, common needs and fears were identified.
Common Needs
Common Fears
Enhancing living conditions and maintaining a source of income
The protracted refugee crisis
Investing in the capacities of refugees to help both refugees and host communities
Fear of unsafe or unattainable return of refugees
Applying principles and ethics for work conduct
Labor is greater than the demand
Applying fair labor laws & effective judiciary system
Mobs that monopolize certain areas
Applying laws that inhibit child labor or at least protect children who work
Child abuse and forced child labor
Pushing business owners to handle responsibility in case of emergency
Losing jobs or being replaced
Encouraging municipalities to regulate Syrian businesses under fair terms and conditions
Not being paid labor fees
Fear of the increased needs with time
Taking into consideration these needs and fears when approaching the livelihood issue might help in shifting the predominant perceptions towards more humane, understanding and realistic ones.
Both Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities are suffering from the effects of the refugee crisis. They are increasingly losing the ability to live in dignity or maintain sufficient access to livelihoods. The so-called competition is in reality nothing but exploitation, by the system, of the people most affected by the refugee crisis.
(1) House of Peace is a social peacebuilding organisation based in Lebanon. The Social Peace workshop is delivered to participants coming from both refugee and host communities, in order to support them to develop community-based initiatives aiming at establishing spaces for dialogue between them.