Social Policy in Lebanon Between Welfare and Warfare: Civil Society and Expert Engagement and Exchange Towards Social Justice in Lebanon 

Roundtable #1- Repeated Exposures: Childhood and War in Lebanon

Around the world, the lives of children are reshaped by the accelerated technological transformations, by the demographic shifts, and by climate disruptions. Facing these global trends, the future of children depends on national policies to ensure child protection and better access to health and education. In this rapidly changing environment, conflicts and wars represent a cross-cutting factor. 

In Lebanon, the 2023-24 war with Israel displaced over 1 million people and disrupted schooling, health care, and water supply systems. A UNICEF survey conducted in February 2025 found that, post-conflict, “over one-quarter of households had children out of school”, and particularly in Eastern Lebanon, “31% of households report insufficient access to safe drinking water”. Following the ongoing war since March 2026, children were once again among the most affected: nearly 600 have been killed or injured in under six weeks, while over a million people are displaced, with children comprising up to 40% of those forced to flee. More than 150,000 students have seen their education disrupted due to school closures or the transformation of public schools into shelters. These immediate impacts intersect with a longer trajectory of economic collapse, failing infrastructure, and the chronic absence of state-led investment in child well-being, from education to recreational and psychosocial spaces.

Repeated wars and systemic neglect in the country have shaped successive generations, raising central questions about the cumulative effects of continuous exposure to crisis on children’s development. Today’s parents are themselves the product of earlier cycles of violence, carrying unresolved trauma that structures family life, expectations, and coping mechanisms. Through this intergenerational transmission of trauma, instability becomes normalised, and resilience is demanded rather than socially and politically supported.

What distinguishes the present moment, however, is the nature of the violence observed today: it appears less incidental and more enduring in its effects, seemingly calibrated to leave lasting imprints rather than temporary disruptions. This is evident in the widespread destruction of entire towns and the repeated use of unconventional weapons, such as white phosphorus, whose consequences extend to natural resources and future generations. What kinds of futures are being silently engineered through this repeated and embodied exposure to violence? And how might these repeated exposures shape long-term trajectories, not only for children and their parents, but for the social fabric as a whole?

This rather bleak picture suggests that children’s futures are shaped not only by external shocks but also by how systems respond, particularly through investments in shock-resilient social protection, education, health, child protection, and mental health services.

This roundtable aims to unpack the cumulative impact of repeated exposure to conflict on children in Lebanon. It will examine how cycles of war, economic collapse, and systemic neglect are reshaping children’s lives and futures, ultimately seeking to answer the question: if reducing children’s exposure to conflict and strengthening their resilience are to be central to any national recovery agenda, what path forward can enhance child protection, reverse current trends, and place the next generation at the heart of national priorities? 

Speakers: 

• Dr. Hala Kerbage, Psychiatrist at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Hospital Center University of Montpellier; Regional Center for child and adolescent post-traumatic stress at Saint-Eloi Hospital, Montpellier University Hospital
• Rose Habchi Daher, Head of Resilience Programme at Himaya, Lebanon
• Dr. Peter Luigi Ragno, Chief of Social Protection and Social Policy expert, UNICEF

Moderation: Sobhieh El Najjar

Date: 20 May 2026

Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Beirut time)

Location: Berytech Mathaf, conference room, 10th floor.

Kindly RSVP physical attendance by email to contact@socialsciences-centre.org

Hybrid modality, you can register and join via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w-Jm22bzTA-v1z0gnDvz7g