The organization has been working for over 100 years to save children at risk and ensure that they have a future, now it is worried about Syrian children and families in Lebanon. According to the organization, violence, harassment and discrimination is growing against Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The tension is partly due to a lack of bread caused by the war in Ukraine, the ongoing economic woes that Lebanon is experiencing, including the devaluation of the currency, and the damage to one of Beirut's main grain silos.

"As wheat supplies run low throughout Lebanon, families are queuing for hours at a time for bread - a ripple effect of the war in Ukraine which disrupted Lebanon's main grain supply and a devastating explosion at the port two years ago," a statement posted online by the organization said.

Syrian refugee beaten while in line at bakery

"When we go to the bakery, we have to wait in line for hours and we don't know if we will get a bag of bread. My husband was beaten out of the line because he is Syrian," Save the Children was told by Wafaa, 25, who is living in a refugee camp in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

"According to the UN, some parts of Lebanon have issued curfews for refugee populations or asked bakeries to prioritize Lebanese citizens over Syrians by asking customers for identification," the statement noted.

Lebanese authorities recently announced that a new security committee will be formed to help prevent fights and discriminatory acts at bakeries. Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world: 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in the country of 6.8 million people.

Price of bread rockets

"Due to falling wheat supplies, the price of bread has been skyrocketing, with a bag of bread costing upwards of 20,000 Lebanese Pounds (US$0.66) in supermarkets - over four times as much as last year," the statement noted.

"I have to feed my three children mouldy bread because we are not finding fresh bread," said Leila, 26, a Syrian refugee living in Beirut. "Buying bread is no longer possible for our family."

Save the Children said in their statement: "The Lebanese Central Bank subsidises wheat imports to keep the cost of bread at bay but prices have surged as the nation's currency has lost more than 90% of its value over the past two years amid one of the world's worst financial crises in modern history," the statement noted.

Lebanese government called on to stabilize prices

"The war in Ukraine has also exacerbated wheat prices, forcing bakeries to ration subsidised bread and hoard flour which is taking a toll on all populations across the country," it added.

Save the Children has thus asked, "the Lebanese government and relevant stakeholders to urgently take measures to stabilize the economy to prevent further suffering of children and their families."

The aid organization is also calling on the government to reconsider lifting subsidies on bread and increase the value of cash assistance.