The Palestinian Feminists In Lebanon

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp serves as an informal hub for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Amongst those tackling its many problems is a feminist organisation. This content was published on December 13, 2025 - 10:00 7 minutes

Where does Switzerland stand in the world? And where is it heading? I focus on current and possible future developments. After completing my studies (history, law and European studies), I worked for a time at the Swiss embassy in Athens. I have journalistic experience at home and abroad, at the local and national levels, as a freelancer and as a staff journalist. Today, it's with an international focus.

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“Over the past few years, we have seen a conservative backlash, both among Palestinians and Lebanese,” says Leila El-Ali. There has been“a kind of escalation”, adds El-Ali, who's the director of NajdehExternal link, an aid organisation run by and for Palestine refugees in Lebanon. Multiple factors have come together, each exacerbating the other.

Leila El-Ali is the director of Najdeh, an aid group run by and for Palestine refugees in Lebanon. Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo

Lebanon has been battered by economic hardship, political instability and war since 2019. The most vulnerable groups are hit the hardest, including the Palestinian refugees who have lived in the country for decades but still remain on the margins. Women and children, in particular, bear the brunt, says El-Ali.

Najdeh describes itself as a secular, feminist and democratic organisation active in 11 of Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. We meet El-Ali in the city of Sidon, which hosts the Ain al-Hilweh camp, the largest and most significant of its kind. Between 60,000 and 70,000 refugees are estimated to live in the camp, home to all political factions and armed militias. Hence, Ain al-Hilweh is considered the informal Palestinian hub in Lebanon.

Classes in a bullet-riddled school building

Here children attend classes. Female teachers use a puppet theatre and drawings to teach girls and boys when physical contact is appropriate and when it is not. In another room, students are drilled on Arabic grammar, while on the ground floor a group of women – many of them mothers of the pupils – gather to talk about poverty, patriarchal norms and social stigma.“They carry a lot on their shoulders. They come here to share their experiences and seek help,” says El-Ali.

In this teaching module, the girls are taught about physical integrity in a playful way... Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo
...and there are discussions about where physical contact is allowed and where it is not. Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo
The children should also learn to express and accept their feelings. Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo

Since Lebanon's economic crisis in 2019, unemployment has soared, leaving Palestinians, who have long struggled to gain access to the labour market, even more dependent on international aid.

“Many Palestinians work for international organisations like [the UN Palestinian refugee agency] UNRWA or various other NGOs. But all of them have been hit hard by funding cuts, which have caused major problems in the camps,” El-Ali adds.

More and more governments have slashed their budgets for development cooperation and humanitarian aid. European countries, including Switzerland, have made significant cuts, but the largest reductions came from the United States, once one of the world's largest donors through its development agency, USAID. In a country like Lebanon, where refugees heavily depend on this funding, the impact is enormous.

>>Read this article for more on the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

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Domestic and gender-based violence, child labour, drug use and psychosocial problems are on the rise and, according to El-Ali, clearly indicate a broader social decline.“Some of the most vulnerable can only be supported with basic food assistance,” she says.

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