HRW: Lebanon imposes discriminatory restrictions on Syrian refugee children

 Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed in a report titled “Stop Politicizing Education for Lebanon’s Refugee Children" that local authorities and politicians in Lebanon are seeking to impose discriminatory restrictions that could result in tens of thousands of refugee children being denied their right to education.

Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea wrote on social media that the Education Ministry must require all students to provide identification papers to register for the 2024-25 school year, for both public and private schools. Foreign students, including Syrians, he insisted, must have valid residency permits to register, at least two municipalities in Lebanon issued their own statements requiring valid Lebanese residency permits for Syrian children to enroll in school.

 This circular comes after a series of discriminatory measures against Syrian refugees taken by Lebanese local authorities, including restricting their ability to rent homes and open shops, forcing them to provide their personal data, and deporting those who do not have legal papers.

 The mayor of Sin el Fil, Nabil Kahala, says that the circular issued by his municipality prohibits Syrian refugees from registering in schools unless they have legal residency."

Kahala explained in an interview with Alhurra website that "it is not enough for a displaced Syrian to have a document proving his registration with the United Nations. We require a residency issued by the Lebanese General Security in order to be able to rent a home, work, and enroll his children in schools."

 He stated that any school that violates this decision "will be reported to the relevant authorities," stressing that "this measure is not racist, but rather is an implementation of Lebanese laws."

 Through no fault of their own, the children of the approximately 80 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are unregistered and undocumented risk losing their access to school.

 Human rights defender and lawyer Mohammad Sablouh describes the decision as a “crime against humanity,” noting that “this measure is unprecedented in any country in the world.”

 For years, Lebanon’s refugee population has endured toxic anti-refugee rhetoric blaming them for the country’s overlapping crises. Much of that scapegoating is directed at Lebanon’s Syrian refugee community, estimated to be around 1.5 million people.

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ANHA