(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
As of today, Lebanon houses one and a half million refugees from Syria. 500 of them are children. In an already strained education system, 000 of the children between the ages of 300 and 000 lack schooling. In the movie If I Close My Eyes documentary filmmakers Francesca Mannochi and Alesso Romenzi depict life as a refugee in Syria's neighboring countries.
"Only in Lebanon are one of four refugees now. Imagine the same situation in a European country. ”
"If Syrian refugee children do not get an education, this could lay the groundwork for the emergence of more radical movements. It does not matter if they operate under the name ISIS or something else. The danger is that war-traumatized children may be in danger of being recruited to fight for an image of God used with the intention of harming, "Mannochi told Ny Tid.
Long-term consequences. One and a half million Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon, but human rights organizations in the country expect the figure to be around 30 percent higher, as UNHCR has stopped counting refugees. So far, Lebanese authorities have not approved the construction of official refugee camps, and today's refugees live in very poor conditions.
Mannochi got the idea for the film after seeing how politicians in Europe have reacted to the so-called refugee crisis.
“Syrian refugees are considered a disaster for European authorities. The truth, however, is that there are other countries that are facing refugees, namely Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. In Lebanon alone, one in four are now refugees. Imagine the same situation in a European country, ”says Mannochi, who lives in Lebanon even for periods of time.
“Now the problem is related to the number of refugees. In the future, however, other and larger problems will emerge, related to the growing generation of Syrians who miss important school years because the Lebanese school system has no more capacity, ”says the filmmaker, adding that several Lebanese schools have found themselves forced to have an extra teaching schedule in the evening to meet the teaching needs: “There are several challenges associated with schooling. Many are forced to work illegally to spell on the family's finances, either because their parents are unable to work, or because many employers would rather hire children because they are cheaper labor, ”Mannochi concludes.
Read the critique of the film here: The eyes closed for the future
