Lebanon eases residency rules for Syria refugee teens to allow education

Lebanon has eased residency rules for teenage Syrian refugees to allow them access to important services such as education in a move that has been hailed by rights groups.

Lebanon's general security agency issued legislation late last month that grants undocumented Syrian refugees between the ages of 15 to 18 the right to obtain temporary residency.

The law will remove barriers to public education and healthcare as well as allow them freedom of movement.

Human Rights Watch hailed the move in a statement on Tuesday.

"This is a positive and much needed step to ensure that Syrian children in Lebanon can attend school safely and without risking arrest for lack of legal status," said Lama Fakih, HRW deputy Middle East director.

"Children should not be forced into legal limbo simply because they didn't have certain documents when fleeing to Lebanon."

Under the terms of the regulation, Syrian refugees who turned 15-18 years old after entering Lebanon will be granted temporary residency if they present a Syrian individual status record.

A 2018 survey of Syrian teenagers conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council found that 90 percent lacked legal residency, leaving them vulnerable to arrest, abuse, and exploitation.

Since it broke out in 2011, Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions more, both internally and to neighbouring countries.

Just under one million Syrians are registered as refugees in Lebanon, though many expect the real number is much higher.

Lebanon is hosting at least 400,000 registered school-aged children, according to the UN's refugee agency, with more than half of them still out of school seven years into the refugee crisis.

In a country of around four million Lebanese, the influx has put strain on public services and resources such as water and electricity.