FROM REFUGEES TO LABOUR MIGRANTS: AN ANALYSIS OF SYRIANS’ ENHANCED VULNERABILITY IN LEBANON (2011-2024)

More than a decade after the outbreak of the Syrian “Spring”, displaced Syrians in Lebanon, estimated at around 1.5 million between registered and unregistered, continue to face significant violations of their basic human rights. Lebanon’s history, shaped by the Palestinian precedent, the 1975-1990 civil war, and the 1976-2005 Syrian occupation, has significantly influenced both the societal and political perception of Syrians and the State’s approach to refugees’ reception. While labour-related mobility has long been present across the Lebanese- Syrian border, since 2011, displaced Syrians in Lebanon have found themselves in a challenging legal limbo. Indeed, whether registered with UNHCR or present on the Lebanese territory through other means, they are not recognised as refugees by the Lebanese State, which instead treats them as labour migrants, thereby denying them critical legal protections. By utilising a vulnerability-based approach and by employing reports from monitoring mechanisms, international organisations, and NGOs, this thesis will demonstrate how Lebanon systematically fails to uphold its human rights obligations vis-à-vis Syrians, contributing to important violations of their rights. First, the absence of recognition of their refugee status, paired with increasingly restrictive residency-related measures, creates a significant legal vacuum that both fosters and amplifies vulnerability. Additionally, important normative gaps in Lebanese labour law and state-induced employment informality exacerbate Syrians’ exploitation as labour migrants, subjecting them to relevant human rights violations. Finally, as personal attributes intersect with broader structural dynamics, women and children face heightened challenges, including gender-based violence and restricted access to education.