MASIR, a leading Lebanese NGO since 2012, advocates for families affected by Lebanon’s gender-discriminatory nationality laws and supports marginalized communities. Lebanese laws prevent children of Lebanese women married to foreigners from automatically acquiring Lebanese nationality, leaving many stateless and without basic rights.
Our work with these families, particularly those with Syrian fathers, reveals a dire issue: many children of Lebanese mothers impacted by gender-discriminatory nationality laws lack identity cards, relying on individual documents or passports for residency permits.
Recent Lebanese regulations have made securing these permits nearly impossible without proper identification. Economic hardships and high costs for Syrian passports exacerbate their plight, leaving them exposed to dangerous risks and worsening their living conditions. In addition, the threat of deportation to conflict-ridden Syria due to their lack of documentation poses additional threats to these children’s safety.
To tackle this pressing issue, MASIR is launching a campaign to support 50 individuals in its first phase. Our goals are to:
1. Cover the fees for “zeyaret Qotor”, a special permission issued by the Syrian embassy. This permission allows people to travel to Syria to obtain essential documents or address legal matters that require their physical presence.
2. Fund travel to Syria for document procurement.
3. Cover the costs of obtaining identity documents and passports in Syria.
4. Fund their return to Lebanon with the necessary documentation to prevent statelessness.
Your support can provide these vulnerable individuals with legal identity and security. Donate now to make a difference and help ensure a safer future.
For more information on our work, visit our website at http://masir.org.