107,933 Internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and host community members benefited from legal aid
3,952 Refugees benefited from legal aid
Legal services are provided in all 14 governorates, through UNHCR-supported community centres, mobile teams and partners’ legal clinics. UNHCR also supports six legal clinics operated by legal partners in Damascus, Al-Hasakeh, Deir-ez-Zor and Hama Governorates.
Legal teams consist of 263 experienced lawyers who work closely with 146 legal outreach volunteers (ORVs). Legal ORVs include law students, trainee lawyers and senior lawyers, often members of the communities they work in, who on a voluntary basis support the dissemination of legal information and the identification and referral of individuals for legal assistance.
Legal assistance for IDPs, returnees and communities
By the end of June 2024, UNHCR through its partner NGOs, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and Syria Trust, provided legal assistance to 107,933 internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and members of their host communities, with the main goal being to support the most vulnerable individuals with:
• Documenting vital events such as births, marriages, divorces, and deaths;
• Obtaining personal civil documentation including but not limited to identity cards, family booklets, and civil status records;
• Supporting the realisation of housing, land, and property (HLP) rights by facilitating the issuance of HLP documents, and documenting HLP transactions;
• Responding to protection risks encountered by women and children including risks arising from gender-based violence and custody, alimony, and inheritance disputes.