Back to Contents Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab: This law, though intended to cover the rights of all children from all nationalities, unfortunately does not extend to refugees as much as it outlines. This has been the case with Syrian and Palestinian children who largely fall outside the scope of the law in many cases. For children residing in camps, their largely “autonomous” nature, coupled with the inability of the Lebanese government to be actively present/engaged with them, renders it increasingly difficult for policies and legal frameworks to extend to stateless, migrant and refugee children. On a broader level, the overall culture of impunity in Lebanon, at all levels, renders it close to impossible to enforce the law, and has pushed many families to resort to negative coping mechanisms that the government strategically does not interfere with. i.e. sending children to work for instance, etc. Asylos: Sources reported that the Minister for Labour, Moustapha Bayram modified in December 202154 the rules in place, authorising Palestinians to work in union-regulated professions. Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab: This was never enforced, and reportedly revoked. Asylos: We found several sources relating to the exclusion of Palestinian refugees from the right to own real estate by law 296/2001. Are any steps currently being taken to improve Palestinians’ access to property? Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab: There are no actions in this regard – nor in the areas of access to bank accounts as well. This is the main issue here associated with property ownership. On a broader level, the “temporary” nature of the Palestinians stay in Lebanon (as the Lebanese government insists) prevents them from attaining their property rights. The Lebanese government views this possibility as grounds for them staying more “permanently”, and for this reason, this right will not be negotiated nor extended to them in the near future. 54 Correction on date: the decree in reference was published on 25 November 2021. 17. Appendices 157