The Syrian conflict has forced the migration of millions of people, which has further triggered a humanitarian crisis with a global impact and a change in communities. Although food, shelter, and healthcare are essential for survival, another crisis is quietly growing: a legal emergency that endangers the very foundations of families, the economy, and social life.
The Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development (ARDD) has been the leading organization in this area. Through its thorough legal aid programs, it enables refugees to understand the laws of the host country, safeguard their families, and develop a life that can last.
The Hidden Legal Crisis Behind the Refugee Emergency
The fleeing Syrians very often had to leave behind important documents, such as IDs, passports, birth certificates, and marriage records. Without securing these, the registering of marriages, births, or divorces in the host countries turns out to be a bureaucratic maze. Children born under these conditions are in danger of being classified as “illegitimate,” and women lose the important protections that family law gives them.
The resulting family disintegration, which is the strongest factor in maintaining social cohesion, will lead to the erosion of the civic space. Jordan, which has more than 570,000 Syrian refugees in its territory, is a case in point. While the majority of those refugees are in places like Zaatari and Azraq camps, over 80% are living in cities and towns where they have to deal with the legal complexities more common in a foreign country.
The lack of access to the legal system, meanwhile, puts refugees at risk of being exploited, creates a pool of stateless children, and eventually contributes to the disruption of the social fabric of both refugee and local communities.
ARDD’s Strategic Response: Empowering Refugees Through Legal Aid
ARDD became aware from the very beginning that a normal relief strategy wouldn’t be enough to address the legal aspect of the refugee crisis. The organization has been providing legal aid to vulnerable groups, which include refugees, since 2008, representing those who lack access to justice in court. The organization adapted to the influx of Syrian refugees and, through its initiatives, drew up a plan that allowed refugees to claim their rights and get legal protection along with it.
A very prominent and positive initiative of ARDD is the Syrian Lawyers’ Initiative (SLI), made up of the skills of the refugee lawyers who, in spite of their massive experience, are not allowed to practice law in Jordan. SLI, by imparting training in Jordanian civil, labor, family, and human rights law to these lawyers, enables them to give the legal advice that is needed in their respective communities.
The training covers much more than just the legal aspect of the refugees. The refugee legal practitioners gain knowledge of techniques for providing social and psychological support, which makes it possible for them to consider and include the emotional and social aspects in their legal consultations. The scenario of informal marriages in refugee camps is one such case where the participants, together with the trainers, probe into the matter.
The lack of civil recognition often makes women and children in such situations very vulnerable. By being aware of the Jordanian legal system, these lawyers can prevent the legal disenfranchisement, and thus, the advice-provision that they offer is not only preserving family rights but also protecting the community from the long-term legal issue of being marginalized.
Creating a Civic Space for Refugee Communities
The efforts of ARDD not only enhance the individual rights but also the wider civic space. The organization empowers the refugees to come up with their own solutions by providing them with legal knowledge and facilitating their access to the legal structures. The lawyers for the refugees perform surveys in order to find out the most urgent legal needs in their areas, which may vary from disputes related to employment or personal status issues.
This method allows the necessary actions to actually meet the needs of the people, to be pertinent, and to last for a long time; hence, it is not going to be a top-down or merely charitable approach. ARDD is also a proponent of the change in the system. The persistent and unyielding attempts have resulted in the existence of civil registration offices and courts in Zaatari and Azraq camps, where refugees can now get their marriages, divorces, and births registered.
Such activities have a positive impact on the social stability and the rule of law, and they do so by not only giving the refugees the right to act in society with dignity and security but also making it an environment conducive to their participation in society.
Linking Legal Empowerment to Sustainable Livelihoods
Legal recognition is not only a civil rights issue; it also has a direct effect on sustainable livelihoods. Properly documented refugees will have a chance to get a job, study, and gain access to social services, thus leading to being more independent and stronger. ARDD’s initiatives make sure that the legal empowerment goes hand in hand with the economic well-being that is being created through the other efforts.
The refugees are equipped with the means to be able to understand the host country’s regulations to be in a better situation to earn a living, support their family, and make a good contribution to their society. For example, knowing the labor laws in Jordan enables the refugees to demand fair payment and better working conditions, which will lead to a decrease in their exploitation and further opening of the road for their stability in the long run.
Legal aid in this way becomes a bridge between the state of being vulnerable and the state of being resilient for the displaced persons, who get the chance to convert mere existence into a sustainable livelihood.
Building the Future on Legal Foundations
The Syrian Lawyers’ Initiative is a story that reveals a very strong truth: the beginning of sustainable change is always through empowerment. It is through empowering refugees with legal knowledge that they will be able to protect themselves, provide support to their families, and contribute to the development of the social fabric of their communities.
Through ARDD’s actions of connecting the displaced people to legal recognition, those persons will have a chance to rebuild their lives with the law, rights, and dignity. Legal aid that ARDD provides is not only legal support, but it is also a lifeline, a shield, and the means for long-term empowerment.
For Syrian refugees who are uncertain about their future, it can be the factor that distinguishes resilience from vulnerability, citizenship from invisibility, and a dignified life from mere survival.
