80% of Syrian children in Lebanon risk losing access to schools
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) raised on Wednesday alarm over the fate of thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, warning that they could be denied access to education due to restrictive policies targeting undocumented refugees.
According to the HRW, roughly 80 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon remain unregistered and undocumented, placing their children’s education in jeopardy.
With the new school year approaching, local authorities in Lebanon are introducing discriminatory restrictions that could block tens of thousands of refugee children from attending school.
In July and August, at least two municipalities issued directives requiring valid Lebanese residency permits for Syrian children to enroll in school.
However, HRW pointed out that only about 20 percent of Syrian refugees currently possess valid residency status due to the complex bureaucratic hurdles involved in renewing permits.
Also, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stopped formally registering Syrian refugees in 2015 following a government order.
The HRW condemned these anti-refugee policies, stating that they are jeopardizing one of the most fundamental rights of Syrian refugee children, that is access to education.