A police intervention can interrupt an attack. It alone does not regulate the conditions under which violence is repeated. The contributions published on 11 November by Ad Diyar and Al Bina invite us to examine social prevention, psychosocial support and the role of local institutions. These paths must be discussed without turning economic difficulties into an automatic explanation of each change to act.
The first issue remains the safety of those exposed. Prevention adds to this requirement; It should not be used to postpone a protective measure or to ask a victim to be more supportive of a dangerous situation.
Reports are not a census of violence
Ad Diyar cites two monthly reports of physical violence in an interview on the subject. Compare September 2025 to January 2026 is not enough to establish an annual trend. The population being monitored, the agencies receiving reports, the definitions used and the evolution of their accessibility should be known.
An increase may reflect more facts, but also a better opportunity to report them. A drop may result in an improvement or, on the contrary, a difficulty in seeking help. Without a homogeneous series, it would be misleading to present these two observations as evidence of a national explosion or retreat.
The analysis should also distinguish between reported facts, victims, open files and interventions. Several reports may concern the same person. Thus, a total of files do not mechanically transform into a number of separate attacks.
A mental health framework exists
The Ministry of Health has launched a national mental health strategy for 2024–30. This framework is a reference for discussing access to care and their integration into services. It does not demonstrate that anyone who needs it already has accessible accompaniment.
Above all, psychological suffering and violence must not be confused. Presenting people in need of care as dangerous would reinforce their stigmatization and could move those seeking help away from services. The assessment of a concrete risk is based on a situation and behaviour, not on a label.
Prevention may include parenting, learning non-violent responses to conflict and referral to professionals. UNICEF in Lebanon describes psychosocial and parental support programmes, as well as protection from violence. Their usefulness is judged in terms of the duration and the persons actually affected.
School and local services as entry points
Repeated absence, sudden breakdown of behaviour or a request for help may lead a professional to offer guidance. These signs alone do not prove violence. They justify appropriate attention, respecting confidentiality, rather than a public accusation.
For this orientation to work, the teacher, social worker or health staff must know who to turn to. A directory, shared procedures and case tracking can prevent a family from being returned from one institution to another. Resources and deadlines remain critical.
Mediation also requires limits. Disagreement between persons able to discuss freely is not equivalent to a situation of threat, coercion or domestic violence. In these latter circumstances, bringing the parties together without an assessment can expose the victim further. Security and access to remedies must take precedence.
Measuring what really changes
A policy of prevention should follow the continuity of support, the possibility of obtaining help and the repetition of the facts, rather than the number of activities organised. It must also distinguish observed results from announced objectives.
The Lebanese debate thus gains in overcoming the alternative between repression and social action. Immediate protection, accountability and prevention are at different stages. Their coordination can be assessed without collectively assigning violence to poor people, refugees or people with mental disorders.
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