Examining Street-Based Child Labor Amongst Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Proposal

Introduction

Child labor is a significant problem in countries with a large number of refugees and illegal immigrants. Children of illegal immigrants are often forced to work to make sure their families have enough resources to provide for their basic needs.¹

The total number of Syrian refugees around the world is close to 5.6 million, which is a considerable part of world-wide migration² This especially true for refugees from Syria that moved to Lebanon due for various internal and external reasons. According to the latest estimated provided by the UN Refugee Agency, there are 938,531 registered refugees and 208,358 households, which causes the influx of labor force in the country.³ In spite of various laws and regulations on tackling labor issues with regard to Syrian refugees, many people encounter poverty. The Inter-Agency Coordination of Lebanon reports that 37,000 Syrian children are engaged in labor with physical, moral, and psychological hazards.⁴

According to Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have the right to be protected from any sort of economic exploitation, which includes street-based child labor.⁵ Therefore, the matter needs in-depth research to assess the needs of underage working Syrian immigrants and identify effective strategies to address these needs.

Research Question, Study Objectives, and Significance

The International Labour Standards on Child Labour (ILO) determine the phenomenon of working children as the violation of human rights, hindering their development, and leading to an adverse impact on their personality.⁶ In Lebanon, children of Syrian refugees are forced to work instead of receiving education and finding their own path in life.⁷

In this connection, it is critical to pay closer attention to different dimensions of children working on the streets of Lebanon in the context of human rights. The research aims at answering the following question, “What are the legal and social improvements that should be made to improve the situation of Syrian refugee children working on the streets of Lebanon via the close examination of underlying causes of their current situation?” The objectives of the study are to review relevant literature to and assess international and local human rights conventions and instruments, profile children working on the streets and assess international and local human rights conventions and instruments, and propose efficient strategies to address the problem of street-base child labor in Lebanon.

The research question applies to Syrian refugee children, who have to work 4-6 hours per day to ensure that their families have enough resources to satisfy their basic human needs.⁸ Such a situation is critical since the violation of human rights is evident. The significance of the proposed study is associated with an in-depth understanding of policies, regulations, and laws that were issued to help the mentioned population. The increased awareness of these issues and causes of the problem would allow formulating potential options for enhancing the current status of children in Lebanon. It is expected that the proposed research would contribute to the evidence by providing a comprehensive review of national policies, institutional contexts, and legal frameworks and evaluating them. Compared to other analyses and interpretations that largely focus on children engaged in agriculture or construction, the proposed study would explore the situations of Syrian refugee children working on the streets.

Current Literature

Legal Status and Economic Repercussions

In 2003, Lebanon and UNHRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that formally recognized the presence of refugees in the country, acknowledging their right to asylum.⁹ It should be emphasized that Lebanon was identified as the transit country that was assigned the task of providing temporary residence for refugees.¹⁰

However, the latter is not widely accepted by Lebanon authorities, which creates additional difficulties for Syrians.¹¹ In turn, the UNHRC was bound with the task of finding a pertinent solution of resettling refugees to a third country, yet lengthy bureaucratic processes impede the implementation of further resettlement.¹² The mentioned stakeholders did not establish the protection regimen; instead, they introduced a de facto prima facie status that determines the current position of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.¹³ Therefore, the legal status of Syrian refugees requires increased attention from human rights organizations around the world.

Currently, the majority of Syrian refugee children are not officially registered in the country, which limits their possibility to enroll in education programs. According to Rima, the actual number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is close to 1.5 million, which implies that more than one-third of immigrants are not registered.¹⁴ Around two-thirds of the refugees belong to vulnerable populations, which are women and children.¹⁵

Children are often separated from their family and protectors, which leaves them without care and the ability to register to receive help from official sources.¹⁶ Separation from legal protectors also leads to increased dangers of physical, sexual, and moral abuse of unprotected populations.¹⁷ In other words, children refugees require significant help from the government and non-government organizations to acquire official registration before enrolling in educational programs.

The economic consequences of escaping from Syria refer to the regulations that determine foreign labor in the country. According to UNICEF, foreigners can work in the areas that are not eligible for nationals, which predominantly take the so-called liberal professions.¹⁸ Obtaining a work permit is obligatory for all the foreigners, who should apply for the Ministry of Labor of Lebanon. The principle of reciprocity is another important point that allows both nationals and foreigners to practice the same rights. However, domestic and agricultural workers are not covered by the mentioned principles, but these are the two main areas in which Syrian refugees work.¹⁹

These regulations restrict the employment opportunities of refugees, making them face poverty, crime, and other associated repercussions. Nevertheless, Lebanon should follow the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that secures people’s rights for fundamental freedoms.

Challenges and Impacts of Child Labor

Child labor among Syrian refugee children is caused by a range of factors, of which poverty is the most powerful one. In particular, the average amount for ensuring a family living in a refugee camp is $119.7, while $50.7 is earned on average.²⁰

Such a situation forces families to encourage their children to work and bring money to have the possibility to satisfy their living needs. According to UNICEF Lebanon, “participants do not consider behaviour as ideal but feel pushed to practicing it to provide for their families.”²¹ The strict social and cultural norms also affect children, especially adolescent girls, who have to work and perform household shored simultaneously. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) receives the support of UNHCR and UNICEF: 57% of children study in public schools.²² A lack of education is another challenge that prevents children from understanding their human rights, including the one to the safe environment.

The impact of labor on children is rather adverse since it impedes their balanced development and poses various threats. The conditions of work are often hazardous and present many risks of being injured.²³ A higher threat of being exposed to sexual and verbal abuse can cause physical and psychological traumas.²⁴ In a long-term period, such children are less likely to have a good job, sufficient remuneration, and proper health.²⁵ Working without food, water, and rest, children in Lebanon often have poor access to healthcare services.²⁶ In short, child labor negatively affects all sides of child development, which leads to significant consequences for physical and mental health.

Street-Based Child Labor

Children working in the streets are concentrated in the centers and involved mainly in vending and begging as the methods of earning money. The recent study shows that 79% of street-based children work in such cities as Tripoli and Greater Beirut.²⁷ The majority of these children are of Syrian origin, and their estimated age is between 10 and 14.²⁸ As stated by the Child Protection in Emergencies Working Group (CPEWG), these children compose the primary source of income for the majority of Syrian families residing in Lebanon.²⁹ There are many cases when children travel from their homes to city centers for long distances.³⁰

The current literature profiles street-based children briefly, paying little attention to the ways to combat it. For example, it is considered that the Internal Security Forces Unit to Combat Working Street Children should be responsible for addressing this problem.³¹ However, the evidence lacks clarity on how to implement the theoretical considerations into practice.

Legal Framework for Child Labor

The reality in which Syrian refugee children live affects their engagement in labor instead of education. In particular, the decrease in the amount of support that is provided by the Lebanon government to refugees leads to a fiercer labor market. Despite the fact that the Lebanese Ministry of Labor aims to eliminate the most hazardous types of child labor, it is still a problem. In order to address the problem, a strategy needs to be developed using local and international legal frameworks. However, as mentioned above, Lebanon’s laws are not flexible enough to support the needs of working refugee children. Therefore, the framework needs to be modified in order to adhere to international documents protecting the rights of children.

Among the international documents that are expected to protect children, the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most remarkable one. According to the convention, every child has the right to appropriate standard of living to promote his or her social, physical, mental, moral, and spiritual development.³²

In families with street-based working children, the latter often faces violence from parents, malnutrition, and overall negligence, abuse, and exploitation, which contradicts the Convention. The Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, C182 by the ILO, also prohibits child trafficking, slavery, and forced labor.³³ The Minimum Age Convention establishes the age for employment (15 years), clarifying that restricted social and economic conditions reduce this age to 14.³⁴ In short, international law provides a clear framework for creating programs that address the problem of child labor in Lebanon.

The Lebanese legal documents set the regulation that legalizes the work of children under the age of 18 if it is not hazardous. The latter include potential danger to morals, health, and life of persons. According to Decree No. 8987 that is accepted in Lebanon, children under the age of 16 are eligible for some types of hazardous work if they have special education and are fully protected at the workplace.³⁵ In the case of Syrian children, they have no training and lack vocational education. The recent report by the Child Labor Unit at the Lebanese Ministry of Labor reveals that 30% of working children were injured at least once while performing their job.³⁶

At the same time, only 18.3% of children were enrolled in schooling, and 50% stated that work was the key barrier to accessing education.³⁷ Therefore, the legal framework of Lebanon is imperfect because its use for addressing the problem is limited. However, the Lebanon government found limited success in improving the situation concerning child labor in the country.

Addressing the Problem of Child Labor

Even though the situation concerning child labor in Lebanon is a considerable problem, the government of the country managed to reach moderate success in addressing the issue in 2018. According to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the government was moderately successful in eliminating the worst forms of child labor.³⁸ ILO identifies several types of such forms, including slavery, trafficking of children, debt bondage, serfdom, forced labor, armed conflict participation, prostitution or pornography, illicit activities, and potentially hazardous activities.³⁹ The report found evidence of the presence worst forms of child labor with excessive representation in potato and tobacco growing.⁴⁰ However, the associated numbers have decreased significantly for various reasons.

First, the Policy for the Protection of Students in the School Environment was introduced, which allowed better protection of children’s right to education.⁴¹ In particular, the Lebanese government encouraged schools to open second shifts and provide education for Syrian refugees.⁴² However, the country still lacks financial and human resources to educate all children in need.⁴³ Moreover, schools require children to have official documents and registration in the country, and many children do not have it due to separation from their protectors.⁴⁴ Children with special needs are also often denied, which forces them to work.⁴⁵ However, the encouragement from the government led to significant improvement of the situation concerning child labor.

Second, the Lebanese government also launched several education programs to increase awareness about children’s rights. This intervention targeted employers by reminding them of possible legal, health, and social implication of child labor.⁴⁶ Moreover, the program aimed at empowering former child laborers.⁴⁷ Even though the consequences of this endeavor are difficult to measure, they are expected to have a positive impact on the situation.

Finally, the authorities have been working on improving labor and criminal law enforcement efforts. In particular, the government gradually increases the number of labor inspectors and criminal law enforcers.⁴⁸ However, the specialists require additional training to acquire the needed skills for addressing the problem in the most efficient way.⁴⁹ Even though the country does not have enough financial resources, the emergence of educational programs mentioned above may mean that future intervention will focus on law enforcers.

Theoretical Framework

In order to answer the target research question, it is important to focus on the structural nature of child labor in terms of human rights, which should include social, political, and economic factors. The influx of refugees led to marginalization of society and vulnerability of Syrians in Lebanon. The struggle for survival encourages child labor, being driven by familial norms and views, the community context, and the occupational environment. The theories, concepts, policies, and legal regulations that are to be used in the proposed study will be focused on assessing various dimensions of the wellbeing of children.

The present study aims at utilizing the framework of participatory research, which allows the inclusion of ideas and thoughts of children concerning the discussed problem. Meincke views participatory research as a “process of sequential reflection and action, where local knowledge and perspectives are key elements.”⁵⁰ In other words, the emphasis of the theoretical framework is to shift the emphasis from expert opinions to the real experiences of the target population. The method is especially relevant for the purposes of the present research since the theoretical and official sides of the problem are thoroughly discussed in the overviewed literature. However, there is a significant gap associated with the representation of real stories of children refugees from Syria engaged in street-based child labor.

The traditional research strategy, which uses authorities as the primary source of data, has several flaws. First, the adult of view of children imposes a stereotypical view on the problem. Meincke states that children are commonly portrayed as needy victims or criminals, and research does not often go beyond this image.⁵¹ Participatory research will help to shift the emphasis on children’s views and first-hand experiences, which may be associated with an innovative approach to the identified problem. Second, the framework allows going beyond official reports and expertise that may conceal the reality behind falsified numbers and vague statements. The stories told the children are carefully recorded with every possible detail, which is vital for acquiring trustworthy information. The advantages of the theoretical framework are expected to guarantee a fresh look at the problem.

Despite the identified benefits, the method is also associated with significant difficulties. First, the children may experience difficulties in formulating their thoughts due to insufficient ability to generalize information or describe the events of the past. The problem may be aggravated by the language barrier between interviewer and interviewees. Second, the acquired data may appear challenging to process since children are often unable to understand what information is significant and what can be omitted. Third, the research will need to adhere to all the standards and conventions concerning the rights of children, which requires extensive research of literature and normative acts. The perceived benefits, however, are expected to surpass the possible difficulties, which makes participatory research a suitable framework for the present study.

Methodology

The methodology includes three parts, including an extensive literature review, information gathering, and data analysis. To obtain the structural understanding of the problem, an extensive review of the literature and official reports will be performed. The review will focus on the current state of matters concerning Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the comparison of policies utilized by the Lebanon government against those used in other countries. European countries are of particular interest due to the advanced practices utilized there, which were mentioned by UNICEF.⁵² The review is expected to synthesize evidence concerning the most efficient strategies designed to address the violation of children’s rights.

For the second stage, semi-structured interviews will be conducted to collect primary data in the field. It is expected to conduct between ten and twenty semi-structured interviews from children engaged in street-based child labor. The use of semi-structured interviews is determined by the identified theoretical framework of participatory research. It was initially considered to use quantitative methods to assess data from questionnaires.

However, the language barrier was believed to make the answers to questionnaires non-representative. Moreover, as mentioned in the literature review for the present proposal, many children lack proper education and may experience difficulties in reading and writing even in their own language. Therefore, it was decided to turn to semi-structured interviews and qualitative methods. The interviews will be recorded and carefully transcribed to incorporate every detail in the research.

The final step of the research is data analysis, which is expected to be a laborious process. The interviews will be analyzed for common themes and presented in an excessive discussion. Data concerning the needs of children, their experiences, and possible strategies for addressing the problems will be extracted. After that, the information will be juxtaposed with findings of the literature review to identify the most efficient strategies to address the problem of violation of children’s rights. Even though the described qualitative methods may have validity and reliability issues, it is identified as the most appropriate way to find innovative ideas to approach the issue. Data collection and analysis are expected to be completed in five months after the start of the project. However, the process of research may affect the choice of methods if other, more efficient approaches are discovered.

Bibliography

Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Lebanon: Moderate Advancement. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2019. Web.

Cronin-Webb, Morgan. “An Assessment of Gender-Based Violence Programmes in Insecure and Protracted Refugee Settings: A Case Study of Dadaab.” MA Candidate thesis, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2018.

International Labour Organization. C182 – Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention. ILO, 1999. Web.

International Labour Organization. C138 – Minimum Age Convention. ILO, 1973. Web.

Jacobsen, Karen and Loren B. Landau. “The Dual Imperative in Refugee Research: Some Methodological and Ethical Considerations in Social Science Research on Forced Migration.” Disasters 27, no. 3 (2003):185–206.

Jagarnathsingh, Amreesha. Global Migration: Consequences and Responses, RESPOND, 2018. Web.

Meincke, Anne Louise. ‘Children’s Voices’: OHCHR Study on The Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children Living and/or Working on the Streets. London: Consortium for Street Children, 2012. Web.

Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. Convention on the Rights of the Child. OHCHR, 1990. Web.

Rima R. Habib. Survey on Child Labour in Agriculture in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon: The Case of Syrian Refugees. Beirut, Lebanon: American University of Beirut Press, 2019.

Schimmel, Noam. “Freedom and Autonomy of Street Children.” The International Journal of Children’s Rights 14, no. 3 (2006): 211-234. Web.

UNICEF Lebanon. Behavioral Drivers: Violence Against Children in Lebanon. UNICEF, 2019.

UNICEF. A Child Is a Child: Protecting Children on the Move from Violence, Abuse and Exploitation. New York: UNICEF, 2017. Web.

UNICEF. Addressing Barriers to Multi-Dimensional Child Wellbeing through Integrated Programming, n.d.

UNICEF. Out-of-School Children Mapping and Profiling 18-19. n.d.

UNICEF. Tackling Child Labour among Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities in Lebanon, UNICEF/ILO, 2015. Web.

Footnotes

1. UNICEF, A Child Is a Child: Protecting Children on the Move from Violence, Abuse and Exploitation (New York: UNICEF, 2017), 10. Web.
2. Habib R. Rima, Survey on Child Labour in Agriculture in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon: The Case of Syrian Refugees (Beirut, Lebanon: American University of Beirut Press, 2019), 14.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child (OHCHR, 1990), 9. Web.
6. Rima, Survey on Child Labour, 24.
7. UNICEF Lebanon. Behavioral Drivers: Violence Against Children in Lebanon (UNICEF, 2019), 30.
8. Rima, Survey on Child Labour, 24.
9. Amreesha Jagarnathsingh, Global Migration: Consequences and Responses (RESPOND, 2018). Web.
10. Ibid.
11. UNICEF, Tackling Child Labour among Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities in Lebanon (UNICEF/ILO, 2015), 6. Web.
12. Karen Jacobsen and Loren B. Landau, “The Dual Imperative in Refugee Research: Some Methodological and Ethical Considerations in Social Science Research on Forced Migration,” Disasters 27, no. 3 (2003):186.
13. Ibid.
14. Rima, Survey on Child Labour, 14.
15. Ibid.
16. Cronin-Webb, Morgan. “An Assessment of Gender-Based Violence Programmes in Insecure and Protracted Refugee Settings: A Case Study of Dadaab.” (MA Candidate thesis, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2018), 5.
17. Ibid, 3.
18. UNICEF. Tackling Child Labour among Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities in Lebanon (UNICEF/ILO, 2015). Web.
19. Rima, Survey on Child Labour, 3.
20. Rima, Survey on Child Labour.
21. UNICEF Lebanon, Behavioral Drivers, 66.
22. UNICEF, Addressing Barriers to Multi-Dimensional Child Wellbeing through Integrated Programming, 4.
23. UNICEF, A Child Is a Child, 24.
24. Ibid, 21.
25. UNICEF, Out-of-School Children Mapping and Profiling 18-19.
26. UNICEF, A Child Is a Child.
27. Jagarnathsingh, Global Migration, 21
28. Ibid, 22.
29. UNICEF Lebanon. Behavioral Drivers, 3-4.
30. Ibid.
31. Ibid, 10.
32. Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1.
33. International Labour Organization, C182 – Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (ILO, 1999). Web.
34. International Labour Organization, C138 – Minimum Age Convention (ILO, 1973). Web.
35. UNICEF Lebanon, Behavioral Drivers, 5.
36. Rima, Survey on Child Labour, 10.
37. Ibid.
38. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Lebanon: Moderate Advancement (Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2019) 1. Web.
39. International Labour Organization, C182.
40. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Lebanon, 1.
41. Ibid.
42. Ibid, 2.
43. Ibid.
44. Cronin-Webb, “An Assessment of Gender-Based Violence Programmes,” 5.
45. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Lebanon, 3.
46. Ibid.
47. Ibid.
48. Ibid, 4-5.
49. UNICEF, A Child Is a Child, 49.
50. Anne Louise Meincke. ‘Children’s Voices’: OHCHR Study on The Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children Living and/or Working on the Streets (London: Consortium for Street Children, 2012), 5. Web.
51. Ibid.
52. UNICEF. A Child Is a Child, 46-56.