Strengthening Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS) Women’s Own Strategies for Protection
Since the onset of the protests in Syria in 2011, Lebanon has witnessed a high influx of refugees fleeing the war alongside thousands of Palestinians from Syria taking shelter in Lebanon. As a result, administrative and legal obstacles have emerged in relation to the conditions of entry to Lebanon and the residency standards. Hence, these conditions mirrored weaknesses on the side of the legal protection and it outlines several human rights violations.
Based on the economic situation of the refugees, imposing financial fees to renew the residency permit is a salient challenge. Thus, most families are in conflict with the residency laws. In addition refugees are unaware of the Lebanese procedures for renewal of permits; added to that, GSO procedures are constantly changing and differ from one center to another.
The second challenge is associated to the situation of PRS children above the age of 15 unable to obtain a legal residency permit without valid identity cards. According to the Syrian Law, all Palestinian refugees residing in Syria (<15 years) hold the family registry, whereas in Lebanon when above the age of 15, the person should procure individual identity card and a personal registry which are necessary to legalize his/her residency in Lebanon. Furthermore, the Lebanese authorities have increased the security measures and decreased the possibility of entry of all PRS, which makes it impossible for these refugee children.
In the policy paper that we have raised to Mr. Abbas Ebrahim, (head manager of GSO in Lebanon), that gave recommendations to the Lebanese government, add to all the advocacy efforts done by the legal coordinator in the GSOs offices, Association Najdeh and Diakonia to raise the voice of the challenges facing those children, we recommend the following:
1. Granting Palestinian refugee children from Syria (PRS) above 15 years old a legal residency permit without requiring the provision of the ID from Syria.
2. Making the residency free from charges to all PRS children until they turn 18 years old.
3. Legalizing the status of all children (accompanied or not accompanied by their parents) who entered Lebanon illegally.
Then on July 2017 the GSO issued a memorandum posted on their website that says:
“Palestinian refugees in Syria who have reached the age of 15 to 18 years after their entry into Lebanon and they provided that they do not have an identity card or a travel document, they shall be granted temporary residence, renewed in accordance to the instructions, based on personal registry stamped from the competent Authority, the issued date shall not exceed two years.”
In this way, the GSO ease the life on many children that turn up 15 in Lebanon, where they become able to move freely without being defended and they can go to school, university and access hospitals and the most important that they help them in not being abused or impose them to danger in case they want to go back to Syria to have the ID and being away from their family.