MMG has fled his home country because he was receiving several threats regarding his sexual orientation and was physically abused by his father

MMG is a Syrian 24-year-old man who has fled his home country because he was receiving several threats regarding his sexual orientation and was physically abused by his father.  Upon his arrival to Lebanon MMG began working in a restaurant, where one of his colleagues had doubts about his sexual orientation and started threatening him over WhatsApp. On one of the nights when MMG was closing the restaurant, a person began verbally abusing him, followed him home, and beat him up because of his Nationality and because the person thought he needed to “man up”. As a result of this incident, MMG departed from this region in Lebanon and relocated to another one, where the work he began as a semi-delivery person was insufficient to sustain him. Afterward, he resorted to exchanging sex for money in order to sustain himself and pay for his basic needs. He found a location to live in, where the individual he was renting from began asking for sexual favors in return for shelter. MMG developed body pains, especially backaches, and was facing increased exposure to risk. 

Due to the ongoing challenges, MMG reached out to SIDC for protection and case management support. The case manager focused with him on counseling, taking precautions, and safety measures regarding sex work. The precautions involved frequent visits to SIDC’s sexual health clinic. He received ECA, which helped him with rental fees and reduced his exposure to sexual exploitation. He is also benefiting from mental health services and attended awareness sessions under several different projects and about different topics. 

Moreover, with SIDC’s support, he registered with the UNHCR and applied for resettlement. By the end of  the summer of 2022, after experiencing several violations and challenges. He is now living in Canada and away from all the obstacles that he was facing in Lebanon.