BEIRUT, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman called upon Syrian refugees on Friday to register their children who were born in Lebanon, a statement by his ministry said.
"Not registering children of Syrian refugees born in Lebanon will have negative effects on Syrians and the Lebanese," he said.
The minister assured that he will follow up on the issue with the interior ministry, municipalities and the general security department.
Local newspaper Al-Akhbar reported statistics by Lebanese Interior Ministry, showing that the number of unregistered Syrian children in Lebanon exceeded 120,000 in 2018.
The lack of formal documentation for children can cause serious problems such as impacting a child's chances of enrolling in school and accessing healthcare services as well as preventing them from travelling.
Normally, a newborn child in Lebanon must be registered within one year of birth.
Otherwise, parents should go through a court process which is costly and unaffordable by many impoverished refugee families.
However, the Lebanese government has disregarded last year the one-year timeframe for Syrian children born in Lebanon between January 2011 and February 2018, allowing their parents to register without going to court.
