Fate of Iraqis seeking asylum in Lebanon is quiet bleak, it is almost impossible for Iraqis to take refugee in Lebanon. Many Iraqi asylum seekers end up in jails or are deported back to their country, which is full of life threatening risks.
There are approximately 50, 000 Iraqis in Lebanon who are treated as illegal immigrants. If they are found by the authorities, they can be arrested for lacking residency papers or work permits. A report by Lebanese Human Rights Watch states that there are about 580 Iraqis are in Lebanese prisons, most of who will have to “agree” to go home to secure their release.
HRW report entitled “Rot Here or Die There: Bleak Choices for Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon” states that Iraqi refugees in detention has no choice but to agree to go back to the countries they fled from or continue to suffer indefinite detention in Iraqi prisons where the condition are intolerable.
Lebanon does not ratify 1951 UN Refugee Convention and has no domestic refugee law. In such conditions Iraqis who have some how managed to flee in to the country, has no legal rights. Such condition exposes them to exploitation by employers and landlords. Arrests are not systematic, but cause widespread fear. Some parents send their children, who are less likely to be arrested, out to work to provide for the family.