This short film documents the lived experiences of people residing in Lebanon in 2021, how the current compounded crises have affected them, and how they attempt to adjust to these crises amidst the lack of universal and inclusive social security policies. It follows the stories of Jamileh and Salim, Oum Khaled, Ilatt, and Fatima and their day-to-day struggles in this context.

Lebanon’s social protection system is characterised by its fragmentation, and inadequate and insufficient coverage. 
Access to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), that is the pillar of the social security system in the country, is only possible to workers in the formal private sector. It thus excludes informal workers, the unemployed, the self-employed, and retirees, as well as workers in 3 sectors, namely agriculture, construction, and domestic work. 
Retirees, such as Salim in our story, lose access to social security and health coverage upon their retirement, and when in their life-cycle, they need it the most. 
Workers in the informal sector such as Ilat, a freelancer and artist, can only enroll in expensive private insurance schemes, and do not receive any support in face of life shocks.
 
In 2021, Lebanon witnessed a number of accumulated crises, including an economic and financial one, a public health crisis with the spread of the pandemic, and a humanitarian crisis, notably after the Beirut port explosion. Subsidies on medicine, among others, have been drastically cut, resulting in an increase of the health bill, with many not able to afford healthcare. This aggravated and magnified existing stark inequalities, contributed to the social downgrading of what was considered as the middle classes, and pushed as per the latest figures the majority of the population into poverty.  

In the last decade, Lebanon’s successive governments have been providing cash transfer assistance to selected targeted families in an attempt to alleviate poverty and the repercussions of the crisis. Such piecemeal measures have not been able to alleviate poverty in the country, nor to protect populations residing in Lebanon.

The reform of the national social security sector, that is highly exclusionary and fragmented, into one unified scheme based on a lifecycle and universal social security is an utmost priority especially in these times of compounded crises in Lebanon.

Film crew

Director and Cinematographer: Preethi Nallu
Editor and Second Camera: Rania Itani 
Sound design: Omar Samadi 

*This video was commissioned by, and produced in collaboration with the Centre for Social Sciences Research & Action (CeSSRA), and in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).
The views expressed in this video are solely those of the interviewed individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Centre for Social Sciences Research & Action, nor its partners.

Read more about #socialprotection and #socialjustice in #Lebanon:

Study, “Understanding the social protection needs of civil society workers in Lebanon. Towards strengthening social rights and security for all”:
https://bit.ly/3J27bCG 

Infographic, “Social Protection in Lebanon: The National Social Security Fund (NSSF):
https://bit.ly/3oYb2bK 

Infographic, Right To Health in Lebanon:
https://bit.ly/3oXDHh8 

Watch the short film