Minors in Lebanon increasingly exposed to abuse
Our team in the northern border region of Lebanon is raising red flags with regard to the protection of minors during this time of war. We have been witnessing a sharp increase in different forms of abuse, both in the private and public space. Our biggest reason of concern: the total neglect for the fate of Syrian refugee children who seem too often to be considered as "dispensable" during the current hostilities. Lebanon's public authorities are often involved in the abuse.
The most shocking cases were two of our former students in the Akkar Governorate, one twelve years of age, the other fourteen, who were wrongfully accused of crimes by their Lebanese neighbours. Both were Syrians with legally valid residence permits. Both of them were held in jail for several months in terrible conditions, without regular food or visits. Both were cleared by the judges from any wrong-doing. Still, they were only allowed to leave jail having paid a bail. Please click below for finding our press release and further details about these cases!
Not only Syrian refugee children are victim of abuse and neglect during these times of war and displacement. Also Lebanese have less and less access to education and are more and more pushed into child labour or child marriage. In the sections below, we are documenting some alarming cases. Ahead of 20 November, the World Children's Day, we are trying to build a coalition of human rights organisations and like-minded NGOs for raising awareness and advocating better protection.
The most shocking cases were two of our former students in the Akkar Governorate, one twelve years of age, the other fourteen, who were wrongfully accused of crimes by their Lebanese neighbours. Both were Syrians with legally valid residence permits. Both of them were held in jail for several months in terrible conditions, without regular food or visits. Both were cleared by the judges from any wrong-doing. Still, they were only allowed to leave jail having paid a bail. Please click below for finding our press release and further details about these cases!
Not only Syrian refugee children are victim of abuse and neglect during these times of war and displacement. Also Lebanese have less and less access to education and are more and more pushed into child labour or child marriage. In the sections below, we are documenting some alarming cases. Ahead of 20 November, the World Children's Day, we are trying to build a coalition of human rights organisations and like-minded NGOs for raising awareness and advocating better protection.
Juvenile Detention without due trial
The case of Yacoub, 14 years of age: an innocent child detained in different prisons for more than six months. He was accused by a Lebanese neighbour to have stolen his motorcycle, beaten up and delivered to General Security. General Security transferred him to the Police detention centre in Aarida, from where he was further transferred to Machta Hassan, then to Batroun and finally to Roumieh prison. He was acquitted by a judge first on 5 June 2024 and then again on 16 October 2024. Still, he has not yet been liberated. Roumieh prison claimed missing paperwork, lost by the first detention centres. Finally, they recognised a copy sent by the police. But yet, he was transferred back to General Security's prison in Beirut where more paperwork is waiting for him to be released. His mother is missing him since May.
Omar, 15 years old, dropped out of school and run away from his family. After several days, the boy reconciled with his family, but he continued to sleep in the garage a Lebanese man had offered him. This was due to the Lebanese man’s promise to help him find work and earn money — a form of exploitation. One day, the neighbor took the boy to help him install doors in an apartment that was still under construction. The police arrived and arrested both of them because a theft had been reported nearby. The Lebanese man convinced the boy to take the blame for the case alone, promising that he would help him with the necessary procedures for his release. The man was released thanks to "connections," while the boy remained detained in Batroun, without legal representation. The lawyer assigned to the boy neglected the case, as she was involved in a romantic relationship with someone in Saudi Arabia, and she ran away to be with him, abandoning the case without any follow-up. Omar has been in jail now for more than 10 months without a due trial.
Several other cases have been brought to our attention. With the deepening economic crisis and the Israeli war against Lebanon, Syrian refugees have lost much of what legal protection they had. The decision of their return to Syria is not ours to take, but we strongly condemn this abuse of children in the legal system, all of which are a violation of Lebanese law and of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was signed and ratified by Lebanon.
Omar, 15 years old, dropped out of school and run away from his family. After several days, the boy reconciled with his family, but he continued to sleep in the garage a Lebanese man had offered him. This was due to the Lebanese man’s promise to help him find work and earn money — a form of exploitation. One day, the neighbor took the boy to help him install doors in an apartment that was still under construction. The police arrived and arrested both of them because a theft had been reported nearby. The Lebanese man convinced the boy to take the blame for the case alone, promising that he would help him with the necessary procedures for his release. The man was released thanks to "connections," while the boy remained detained in Batroun, without legal representation. The lawyer assigned to the boy neglected the case, as she was involved in a romantic relationship with someone in Saudi Arabia, and she ran away to be with him, abandoning the case without any follow-up. Omar has been in jail now for more than 10 months without a due trial.
Several other cases have been brought to our attention. With the deepening economic crisis and the Israeli war against Lebanon, Syrian refugees have lost much of what legal protection they had. The decision of their return to Syria is not ours to take, but we strongly condemn this abuse of children in the legal system, all of which are a violation of Lebanese law and of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was signed and ratified by Lebanon.
Please download the press release on the case of Yacoub published on 23 September 2024: |
| PR Children Targeted By Authorities ar-en-fr.pdf |
Please read the article by Valeria Rando, published by NOW Lebanon on 24 September 2024: |
 |
UPDATE 20 November 2024: Yacoub has finally returned home, after more than six months. Here our press release: |
| PR World Children's Day ar-en-fr.pdf |
Child Labour in Akkar becoming endemic
Child Labour is not only a problem in the Akkar Governorate. However, since the start of the economic crisis in 2019 and the new war against Lebanon in this year, the problem has become endemic. No construction site without minors, no harvesting and hardly a shop that doesn't have several children as errant boys. Even though worse forms of abuse exist, the stories of some of the children we serve are heart-breaking. We demand the extension of social assistance to children and to vulnerable families that do not have an adult member who can work.
Hanan (14 years old), Mohammad (12 years old), and Yahya (9 years old) are currently living in a tent. Their father, who sustained injuries to his leg and back, has been unable to work. As a result, the children have been responsible for generating income for the family. However, due to their young age, they are unable to find decent work. Instead, they are selling sweets on the street. Although their mother has enrolled them in our education programme for this year, it appears more likely that she will prioritise sending them to work rather than to school. We meet them regularly, even late at night, in front of the supermarket in Halba, on the main highway of Akkar, where many unknown persons are passing through.
Ahmad* (*name changed), a 15-year-old Syrian boy, lives with his mother and three siblings, was left to support the family alone after his father remarried and abandoned them. His day begins with an eight-hour shift harvesting olives from 6am to 2pm. After a brief rest, he starts a gruelling twelve-hour night shift at a highway coffee shop. This relentless schedule is taking a toll on his health, but he shrugs, “That’s just life; we thank God for everything.” Ahmad* once attended our homework help sessions, but now we only catch brief glimpses of him, rushing between jobs. He keeps up a good spirit, but the $260 he earns per month in the harvest season can barely cover the rent and the basic living costs of his family.
Hanan (14 years old), Mohammad (12 years old), and Yahya (9 years old) are currently living in a tent. Their father, who sustained injuries to his leg and back, has been unable to work. As a result, the children have been responsible for generating income for the family. However, due to their young age, they are unable to find decent work. Instead, they are selling sweets on the street. Although their mother has enrolled them in our education programme for this year, it appears more likely that she will prioritise sending them to work rather than to school. We meet them regularly, even late at night, in front of the supermarket in Halba, on the main highway of Akkar, where many unknown persons are passing through.
Ahmad* (*name changed), a 15-year-old Syrian boy, lives with his mother and three siblings, was left to support the family alone after his father remarried and abandoned them. His day begins with an eight-hour shift harvesting olives from 6am to 2pm. After a brief rest, he starts a gruelling twelve-hour night shift at a highway coffee shop. This relentless schedule is taking a toll on his health, but he shrugs, “That’s just life; we thank God for everything.” Ahmad* once attended our homework help sessions, but now we only catch brief glimpses of him, rushing between jobs. He keeps up a good spirit, but the $260 he earns per month in the harvest season can barely cover the rent and the basic living costs of his family.
Access to education becoming a luxury
Mina* (*name changed), 11 years old and from a Lebanese middle-class family, once lived in Nabatiyeh. After the start of the Israeli bombings and ground invasion in the South, her family fled northward and now resides in a temporary shelter in Akkar. Just days after their departure, a missile struck near their home, destroying her bedroom and living room. Mina was previously enrolled in a public school with English curriculum, but in the Akkar Governorate, only the French curriculum is taught in public schools. Her family is now waiting to enrol her in a private school with online classes, despite the financial strain and the subpar quality of remote learning.
Assel (9), Nada (8), and Mohammed (6) are among the best students at R&R’s Kousha Centre, where they’ve been consistently attending homework help for the past year. As they await the opening of second-shift registrations in the public school system, the siblings are now participating in the informal classes currently offered at the centre. Their mother expresses appreciation for our teachers, recognising that this interim support allows her children to stay engaged and make steady progress. Their case reflects the situation of thousands of Syrian children, who for the time being remain on the margins of formal education.
The Lebanese government and international donors must act now to prevent another educational catastrophe! All children have the right to primary and also secondary education, non-regarding of their nationality. The R&R team on the ground is working day and night to provide emergency relief and education to those who cannot attend school, but we need the state and the international community to do their part to keep schools open and safe. Targeting school buildings that are used for teaching or for sheltering displaced persons is a war crime.
Assel (9), Nada (8), and Mohammed (6) are among the best students at R&R’s Kousha Centre, where they’ve been consistently attending homework help for the past year. As they await the opening of second-shift registrations in the public school system, the siblings are now participating in the informal classes currently offered at the centre. Their mother expresses appreciation for our teachers, recognising that this interim support allows her children to stay engaged and make steady progress. Their case reflects the situation of thousands of Syrian children, who for the time being remain on the margins of formal education.
The Lebanese government and international donors must act now to prevent another educational catastrophe! All children have the right to primary and also secondary education, non-regarding of their nationality. The R&R team on the ground is working day and night to provide emergency relief and education to those who cannot attend school, but we need the state and the international community to do their part to keep schools open and safe. Targeting school buildings that are used for teaching or for sheltering displaced persons is a war crime.
Call for action
Please help us to spread the word and build a coalition of civil society organisations to denounce these violations of fundamental children's rights!
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