On June 25, 2024, the Municipality of Sin El Fil issued a circular requesting all private and public schools within its jurisdiction not to enroll Syrian children who do not have legal residency permits. In light of this decision, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) highlights the difficulty of obtaining legal residencies and civil documentation, which restricts children’s access to education. 

CLDH believes that this circular violates Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which guarantees everyone the right to education. Lebanon, which contributed to drafting this declaration in 1948, incorporated it into the preamble of its constitution, making it binding. This means that the principles and commitments set forth in the declaration are an integral part of Lebanon's constitutional framework. 

Such circulars are also a direct violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which guarantees the right to education in Article 28. Lebanon ratified this convention in 1990. Furthermore, this circular constitutes a form of marginalization and discrimination against a specific group within the community, directly affecting social stability. 

Syrian refugees in Lebanon face incitement campaigns reflected in circulars issued by several municipalities that violate their right to movement. These circulars ban them from renting in certain neighborhoods and even force them to vacate within very short periods. 

Syrian children are particularly affected by these measures, with 44% of school-age refugee children (6-17 years) not enrolled in school, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Lack of enrollment in education leads to children falling victim to the worst forms of child labor, human trafficking, and other serious societal afflictions. 

Therefore, CLDH recommends the following: 

  • Hold municipal officials accountable for issuing discriminatory circulars and take necessary measures to prevent their recurrence 

  • Adhere to Lebanon's international commitments and ensure compliance with international human rights treaties that Lebanon has ratified, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantee the right to education for all children without discrimination 

  • Implement and enforce national laws and policies that prohibit discrimination in education based on nationality, race, or refugee status 

  • Study the impact of such decisions on the social situation to avoid personal and racist approaches to the crisis and to prevent creating additional crises  

  • Amend Article 2 of Decree 9706, issued on July 7, 2022, to align with the UDHR and the CRC, ensuring it includes children who do not possess legal documentation