Beirut: More than half of refugee girls living in Lebanon's capital face sexual violence and sexual harassment with alarming regularity, says a new research by Plan International, a development and humanitarian organization.
Based on surveys with 400 girls aged between 10 and 19, the study on Tuesday showed how girls spoke of being harassed or chased by men and boys, while others expressed concern about being kidnaped or raped, reports Al Jazeera.
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"Adolescent girls rarely get their voices heard, and during humanitarian crises this neglect only becomes exacerbated," Colin Lee, Plan International's regional programe director in the Middle East, said.
"We're too afraid to go out alone. There are always drunk men who harass us and even the ones who aren't drunk harass us," an 18-year-old Syrian girl from Bourj Al Barajneh, in the Beirut suburbs, told the researchers.
The report launched ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20 called on governments, the United Nations and civil society actors in Lebanon to take action to support refugee girls.