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UN PhotoUNICEF / LEBANON CHILDREN MENTAL HEALTH
STORY: UNICEF / LEBANON CHILDREN MENTAL HEALTH
TRT: 03:04
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NATS
DATELINE: RECENT - KHIAM, NABATIEH GOVERNORATE OF SOUTHERN LEBANON / AITA AL-SHAAB, BINT JBEIL DISTRICT, SOUTHERN LEBANON
1. Travelling shot, devastated neighbourhood with buildings reduced to rubble
2. Wide shot, destroyed Church
3. Wide shot, heavily damaged building
4. Wide shot, damaged school with rubble in the foreground. A school bus, still standing with broken front glass and damaged, is visible in the background.
5. Close up, classroom chalkboard
6. Various shots, heavily damaged classroom, with sunlight streaming through the shattered structure
7. Various shots, another school in ruins
8. Pan right, completely destroyed residential area, where houses have collapsed entirely, leaving no indication of human presence.
9. Wide shot, demolished house with a tank positioned on top of the wreckage
10. Wide shot, destroyed residential area with barely any structures left standing
11. Wide shot, house so severely damaged that only a few walls remain standing
12. Wide shot, foreground view of a collapsed roof that has become the floor, with a tank resting on top
13. Wide shot, houses reduced to the ground
14. Close up, kids' toys buried in the ruins.
15. heavily damaged building
The latest war in Lebanon has had a significant negative impact on children’s lives, with effects continuing to reverberate even after the ceasefire came into effect in November 2024, according to a new UNICEF report.
The devastating war forced children to flee their homes, damaged facilities providing essential services and inflicted physical and emotional wounds on children across the country.
In a survey conducted by UNICEF in January 2025, 72 percent of caregivers said their children were anxious or nervous during the war, and 62 percent said they were depressed or sad. This represents a surge from pre-war data collected in 2023. While 8 in 10 caregivers said they have seen some improvement in their children’s mental health since the ceasefire, those who endured prolonged periods of traumatic stress could face lifelong health and psychological consequences.
The assessment also revealed an alarming picture of children’s nutrition, particularly in the densely populated areas of Baalbeck-Hermel and Bekaa governorates, which were repeatedly targeted by air strikes.
In Baalbeck-Hermel, more than half (51 percent) of children under 2 years of age are experiencing severe food poverty. In Bekaa, the rate was 45 percent, a dramatic increase from 28 per cent in 2023. Children are considered in severe food poverty if they consume two or fewer of eight key food groups.
Poor nutrition and insufficient meal frequency stunt children’s growth and cognitive development and increase their risk of suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.
The conflict also compounded Lebanon’s challenging education situation which had already left over 500,000 children out school after years of economic strife, teacher strikes and the impact of COVID-19. Schools were destroyed or heavily damaged in the war and hundreds more were used as shelters for some of the 1.3 million people who were internally displaced due to the conflict.
Given the complexity of the crisis and its long-term impact on children, there is an urgent need for sustained support at this critical moment for Lebanon. UNICEF calls on the international community to support the children of Lebanon and contribute to the 2025 appeal of US$658.2 million to deliver lifesaving assistance to 2.4 million people across the country
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