Over the past years, Lebanon has experienced a situation marked by security instability and heightened risks on the ground, which has driven up demand for legal protection and support, particularly in cases of an urgent nature and in sensitive matters related to domestic violence, housing disputes, labor rights, and protection cases; all of these are matters that require immediate legal intervention to reduce the risks facing beneficiaries.
For this reason, the Legal Aid Office project was established in the Sidon area, aiming to guarantee access to justice for the most vulnerable groups of various nationalities residing in Lebanon, amid ongoing economic and security challenges and the declining ability of individuals to bear the costs of litigation.
What is the Legal Aid Office?
The Legal Aid Office is a humanitarian legal initiative that aims to enhance access to justice and protect the basic rights of the most vulnerable groups in society, by providing free and comprehensive legal services to all nationalities residing on Lebanese territory.
The office is run by the Development for People and Nature Association (DPNA), and is funded by the Canadian Embassy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in coordination with the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, the Bar Associations of Beirut and Tripoli, and the Municipality of Sidon.
The groups the office serves:
The Legal Aid Office targets the groups most in need and most vulnerable, including:
- Women and girls exposed to violence or discrimination.
- Children and minors.
- Those with limited income.
- Refugees and the displaced.
- Foreign workers.
- Persons with disabilities.
- The elderly.
- Victims of human trafficking, and victims of domestic violence and exploitation.
- Detainees and their families.
- All nationalities residing on Lebanese territory without any discrimination.
The services the office provides:
The Legal Aid Office provides an integrated package of free legal services that includes:
- Legal consultation: providing individual legal advice on various civil, criminal, personal-status, labor, tenancy, and other matters.
- Legal support: assistance in preparing legal transactions, filling out applications, directing beneficiaries to the competent authorities, and following up on their files before official departments.
- Legal representation before the courts: securing specialized lawyers to represent beneficiaries before the Lebanese courts in cases requiring judicial intervention.
- Legal awareness sessions: organizing awareness sessions and workshops to raise the level of legal knowledge in the community regarding rights and duties, protection laws, domestic violence, harassment, cybercrimes, and more.
Beneficiaries of the office’s services in 2025:
The number of beneficiaries of the Legal Aid Office’s services in 2025 reached 1,820 people; among them 1,228 women and 592 men:
- 884 beneficiaries benefited from the legal awareness sessions; among them 551 women and 333 men.
- 373 people benefited from the legal consultations; among them 242 women and 131 men.
- In the field of legal support, 501 people benefited; among them 379 women and 122 men.
- In terms of legal representation, 61 people benefited; among them 55 women and six men.
- In the field of reaching alternative dispute resolution, one woman benefited.
As for the legal awareness sessions, their number reached fifty sessions, which addressed the following topics: (the legal consequences of war, cybercrimes, domestic violence, drug-related laws, sexual harassment). It is notable that the awareness sessions on cybercrimes were the most numerous due to the pressing need for them.
"It is notable that the awareness sessions on cybercrimes were the most numerous due to the pressing need for them"
Regarding the nationality of the beneficiaries of the Legal Aid Office’s services, it can be noted that the beneficiaries are distributed as follows: 1,334 Lebanese men and women, 291 Palestinian men and women, 170 Syrian men and women, 6 Egyptian men and women, one Iraqi, and 17 undocumented persons.
The main legal cases:
- Personal-status cases (such as: divorce, separation, khula, proof of divorce, and proof of marriage) topped the list of main legal cases, reaching a rate of 47.7%.
- In second place came administrative cases (such as: residency, proof of death, birth registration, and General Security transactions) at a rate of 23.6%.
- These were followed by civil cases (such as: tenancies, encroachment on property, and building violations) at a rate of 14.1%.
- Then criminal cases (such as: theft, defamation, domestic violence, drugs, and sexual harassment) at a rate of 13.35%.
- Juvenile cases at a rate of 0.53%.
- Labor cases at a rate of 0.4%.
- And finally commercial cases at a rate of 0.32%.
In addition, the office’s hotline received 537 calls for inquiries and to obtain legal answers; among them 378 calls from women and 159 calls from men.
The challenges the office faced:
During 2025, the Legal Aid Office faced a set of challenges that affected the pace and scope of legal service delivery, including:
- Rising requests for assistance: against the limited resources available, this rise being a result of the continuous deterioration in economic and social conditions.
- The complexity and diversity of legal cases: which required double the effort and a high level of specialization and precision from the legal team working at the office.
- Weak legal literacy: among a broad segment of society, and ignorance of rights and laws, which is reflected negatively in the behavior of many of them.
- The slowness of judicial procedures: and of adjudicating cases, which increased the psychological and economic burdens on the beneficiaries.
- Psychological and professional pressure: on the working team as a result of dealing daily with sensitive cases, which highlights the need to provide continuous professional psychological support.
Therefore, in order for this initiative to continue serving marginalized groups, it is essential to increase the number of the field work team, which would help reduce waiting periods and improve the speed of response to beneficiaries’ needs. This does not negate the necessity of strengthening community legal awareness programs, especially on the rights of women, workers, and refugees, and on gender-based violence; with the aim of curbing the escalation of legal disputes, particularly in marginalized areas.
By following up on the cases that reach out to the Legal Aid Office, the importance of integrating psychological and social support within the services provided stands out, alongside ensuring the continuity of the office’s services and expanding their impact over the medium and long term. Shedding light on the activity of the Legal Aid Office in Sidon is not limited to the number of beneficiaries across a range of legal fields; rather, the matter takes on great importance when speaking of real success stories that took place during 2025.
"The importance of integrating psychological and social support within the services provided stands out"
Success stories from the heart of suffering:
The first success story tells of the case of a girl of unknown parents, who was found in difficult humanitarian circumstances, and one family took on her care and upbringing. Because of her legal situation, the girl faced multiple risks related to her legal identity not being established and her deprivation of the basic rights associated with identity and nationality. The Legal Aid Office intervened by legally representing the family, leading to the issuance of a court ruling that guarantees her official registration and grants her basic legal rights.
The second success story is about a woman who was subjected to sexual assault, and who filed a lawsuit against the assailant, who resorted to threatening her and attempting to blackmail her in order to pressure her into withdrawing the complaint. The office followed up on the lawsuit and established its foundations, leading to a conviction ruling against the assailant and the enforcement of a prison sentence against him, which secured full protection for the beneficiary.
One of the women beneficiaries of the office’s services says: “I was living in constant fear, and I didn’t know what my rights were; when I came to the office, I felt for the first time that there was someone listening to me, understanding me, and not blaming me.” This comment came after she obtained legal protection from domestic violence. Another woman added by saying: “They gave me back my dignity”; that was after she obtained legal support that prevented her from being arbitrarily evicted from a home she had legally rented.
Even though some cases do not end with full results being achieved, the Legal Aid Office has opened the doors to real legal awareness and support for reaching one’s rights.
