Adolescent girls in Lebanon: Barriers and facilitators to accessing education and relevant services
This report explores the barriers and facilitators shaping adolescent girls’ access to education in Lebanon, focusing on economic, social, and systemic challenges and community dynamics
Highlights
Facilitating factors emerged as crucial for girls' educational opportunities. These included strong support from parents and girls themselves who recognized the value of education, dedicated teachers and schools offering support and resources, and assistance provided by international organizations. However, numerous barriers were identified, significantly hindering girls' educational pathways. Economic limitations, psychological factors such as safety concerns and period poverty, societal norms around gender roles and discrimination, and environmental factors like inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent educational quality were all found to be detrimental.
Protection concerns arose as another critical barrier, with a lack of access to protection against gender-based violence and harassment posing a significant threat to girls' education and well-being. Interestingly, the study revealed similarities between accessing education and healthcare. While similar facilitators existed, additional challenges related to access to information and services regarding sexual and reproductive health were highlighted for girls seeking healthcare. Nationality also played a role, with refugee girls facing additional hurdles due to prejudice and discrimination within the educational system.
Despite these challenges, the study found that married girls still placed a high value on education, and many were motivated to return to school, highlighting their desire for continued learning and empowerment. The research also found minimal gender differences in accessing education itself, with social and gender norms being the only barriers unique to girls. However, environmental factors like economic constraints and inconsistent education quality negatively impacted both boys and girls.
Based on these findings, the study recommends a multifaceted approach to address the various challenges and ensure quality, safe access to education for girls. This approach encompasses four key areas at the macro level, organisational level, institutional as well as individual levels.
