Lebanese children live and die as if they never existed

By:  Patricia Mouamar, Communications; World Vision Lebanon

''My children are growing year after year, with a big future ahead of them, but it will be impossible for them to work or obtain a school degree and get a job like any other Lebanese citizen,” says Rose, a mother of two children without any identification cards.

Rose knows that if her children become ill, she can’t even take them to the hospital because according to the country’s records, they do not even exist.

Rose’s children are just two of many

According to Lebanese law, all children born of Lebanese fathers are entitled to receive Lebanese citizenship. This, however, does not often happen. There are many children with Lebanese fathers who, for one reason or another, are not registered, do not have ID cards or citizenship and consequently don’t have access to public education or health services.

“It is a small plastic card, called [an] ID card. Many [people] have them, but they have no idea what it’s worth,” says Charbel, a 23-year-old. “[Without an ID], there’s nothing to prove who you are. All your life depends on this ID. This drives a person to desperation…I was very depressed and reached a stage where I considered suicide. I do not want anything from this world. I just want an ID [...]”

“I could not obtain a high school degree, even though I took the highest grade in the whole school,” says Josephine, 27. “What did we do wrong? If there was a disagreement between the mother and the father, why is it the children fault? Why don’t we, as Lebanese children, have an ID? We are Lebanese children!”

Within the current Lebanese system, only the father is entitled to provide the Lebanese citizenship and to register the newly born child after receiving the proper documentation from the doctor or midwife and then from the mayor. Then, the father has to take these documents and register the child in the personal affairs unit under the Ministry of Interior in the capital, Beirut.  If the father doesn’t register the child within one year of the child’s birth, then the only way that he can do it is by filing a lawsuit.

One of the problems with the registration system is that neither the child nor their mother can file a request for their registration until the child is over 18 years old and then he or she must file a lawsuit to prove that the child’s father was Lebanese.  Another issue is that the law does not penalize fathers who do not register their children.  Adding to this, there is a general lack of awareness about the registration procedures and the consequences of not registering one’s child.

“In many cases, failing to have an ID, leaves children with no prospects for the future. They cannot even dream of tomorrow,” said Sanaa Maalouf, World Vision Advocacy and Policy Officer. “Often times [children without IDs] are vulnerable to various child protection issues. I was very struck hearing the misery in their voices and seeing the pain and agony in their eyes. The level of discrimination and deprivation that these children face is beyond describing and no one should ever have to face it. This is not only a fight over identity, it is a fight for a decent and happy life…’’.

World Vision has identified unregistered children as one of the most vulnerable groups of children in Lebanon and has prioritized the issue.  World Vision is currently collaborating with the relevant ministries and civil society organisations which are members of The Committee Addressing the Situation of Unregistered Lebanese Children.

Read World Vision’s newly released report, ‘Uncounted and Unreached’ which highlights unseen and uncounted children who are unregistered and unable to access essential services. 

Watch 'My name is … unregistered … NOT! My name is Charbel' to learn more.