The Palestinian feminists in Lebanon working between poverty and violence

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. “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 Najdeh, an aid organisation run by and for Palestine refugees in Lebanon. Multiple factors have come together, each exacerbating the other. 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 ...