<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the morning of the third of September 2025, a number of juveniles left their ward in Roumieh prison heading to al-Warwar. The road was not long geographically, but it was supposed to be a new beginning for children who had entered the justice system while under the age of eighteen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The difference was not limited to the address alone; Roumieh is a prison for adults that includes a ward for juveniles, whereas al-Warwar was designed in the first place to be a center for rehabilitating juveniles in conflict with the law, placing education, training, and psychological and social support at the heart of its objectives. The center was opened on 28 May 2025 in cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, the Internal Security Forces, the European Union, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, before the male juveniles were transferred to it on the third of September of the same year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This constituted a pivotal shift in location, but it was not the end of the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than a year later, a surprise visit by the National Human Rights Commission (which includes the Committee for the Prevention of Torture) on 17 September 2026 presented a more complex picture of life inside the center. The Commission interviewed the majority of the juveniles, along with the administration and the staff, reviewed the files, and recorded direct observations on the conditions and services. In its report issued on 21 September, it spoke of sharp gaps between the legal guarantees and the actual reality of residence, care, and protection, amid a severe shortage of human, medical, and financial resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast, the Commission did not paint a single-pole picture; it recorded some improvements compared to previous visits, and it also distinguished between what its team observed directly, what the administration and staff reported, and what the juveniles stated as allegations requiring an independent investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rehabilitation: between the workshops and reality<\/strong> Inside al-Warwar there are literacy programs and workshops for carpentry and barbering, which are fundamental pillars in the philosophy of rehabilitation. But the Commission observed, at the same time, the suspension of some workshops and the failure to operate other equipment, including equipment that had not been transferred from Roumieh and a training kitchen that remained out of service, and it recommended expanding the programs and operating the suspended facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem does not lie in the number of workshops recorded on paper, but in the time the juvenile spends learning and the outcomes he acquires. Rehabilitation gains its meaning when it turns into knowledge or a skill that accompanies the child after his release, not when the activity remains confined within the walls of the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Health care is not a marginal detail, and rehabilitation is not separate from the child’s daily living conditions. The Commission recorded a scarcity of water, and problems with cleanliness, waste management, maintenance, and sleeping beds, in addition to the spread of cases of scabies, fungal infections, allergies, and skin inflammations, not to mention observations about the quality of the food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the level of health care, the report pointed to the absence of a regularly dedicated doctor and nurse, the faltering provision of some medicines, and the difficulty of transferring juveniles to external medical facilities. As for psychological and social support, it remained limited, despite previous indicators of self-harm, suicide attempts, and escape attempts, alongside the recording of cases of harassment and violence among the juveniles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mental health acquires great importance in an environment in which children live far from their families and under the weight of judicial proceedings. On 29 September 2025, a 14-year-old Syrian juvenile died inside the center following a previous suicide attempt in the same month. According to a statement by the Internal Security Forces, the juvenile had been transferred to the hospital following a suicide attempt on 5 September, where he underwent medical follow-up and treatment, before later dying as a result of hanging himself. The Directorate stated, based on the forensic doctor’s report, that there were no traces of violence on his body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These facts do not in themselves prove a direct link between the death and the center’s conditions, but they shed light on the utmost necessity of providing health and psychological care and early-intervention mechanisms for the children placed in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Protection inside the center<\/strong> During the recent visit, some juveniles reported being beaten. Here the Commission clearly distinguished between the testimonies of the statements and the proven field reality; it did not treat the accusations as definitive facts, but rather recommended opening an independent investigation, conducting confidential medical examinations, preserving the evidence, and protecting the witnesses from any retaliatory acts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Commission also observed the spread of the “shawish” phenomenon, where some juveniles take on organizational roles inside the center to fill the shortage in the administrative staff. The Commission considered that granting a juvenile actual authority over his peers disrupts the balance of power, recommending the abolition of these powers and the provision of direct professional supervision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice does not begin at the gate of al-Warwar<\/strong> According to the Juvenile Law No. 422\/2002, priority is given to non-custodial measures, while detentions and custodial measures are considered a last resort to be invoked according to the circumstances of each case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Commission documented in previous reports problems in the places of initial detention, including the presence of juveniles in holding cells designated for adults, and the recording of the placement of female minors in centers designated for adult women. Hence, the protection of the child begins from the first hours of his arrest, not only at the thresholds of the specialized centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for girls, they are subject to a different track; the Rehabilitation Center for Female Minors in Dahr al-Bashek receives girls against whom procedures or judicial measures have been issued by the juvenile courts. In its 2025 report, the Commission stated that it had not noticed any tangible improvements in the infrastructure or the residence conditions compared to previous visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happens after the age of eighteen?<\/strong> In February 2026, the Council of Ministers took a new legislative step by approving a draft law that raises the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 7 to 14 years, and referred it to the Parliament. However, the approval of the draft in the Council of Ministers does not grant it enforceable force, as it requires the completion of its legislative course in Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the building to the system<\/strong> The child placed inside it is not reduced to the label “detainee”; rather, he is a child in need of education, health care, psychological support, and legal follow-up of his file, as well as communication with his family and the acquisition of a skill that qualifies him for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From here springs the importance of the transfer from Roumieh to al-Warwar; the change of place constituted a positive step toward separating children from the adults’ prison. But the September 2026 report makes clear that changing the building does not address the deep problems, from the shortage of medical staff and the limited psychological support, to the suspension of the training programs, the deterioration of cleanliness, and the gaps in judicial follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In its report issued on 21 September, the Commission set timetables for addressing the gaps: 24 hours to stop disciplinary isolation and ensure safety, 7 days to investigate the allegations of mistreatment and conduct the medical examinations, 30 days to provide care and medical treatment and to address the water and public-health crises, and 90 days to develop a human-resources plan, expand the rehabilitation programs, abolish the authority of the “shawish,” and develop mechanisms for family communication and judicial follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A year after the transfer<\/strong> But real change is not measured by geographical distance, but by its impact on the child’s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Juvenile justice is not measured only by the number of beds or rehabilitation workshops, but by the extent of its ability to give the child a real chance to return to the school desk, to work, or to the embrace of his community, instead of carrying the scars of detention throughout his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The address may change between Roumieh and al-Warwar, but the desired reform begins when the child becomes the center of the judicial process: starting from the moment of arrest, through care and rehabilitation, and reaching the day on which the doors are opened for him to return as a productive member of society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the morning of the third of September 2025, a number of juveniles left their ward in Roumieh prison heading to al-Warwar. The road was not long geographically, but it was supposed to be a new beginning for children who had entered the justice system while under the age of eighteen. The difference was not limited to the address alone; Roumieh is a prison for adults that includes a ward for juveniles, whereas al-Warwar was designed in the first place to be a center for rehabilitating juveniles in conflict with the law, placing education, training, and psychological and social support at the heart of its objectives. The center was opened on 28 May 2025 in cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, the Internal Security Forces, the European Union, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, before the male juveniles were transferred to it on the third of September of the same year. This constituted a pivotal shift in location, but it was not the end of the crisis. More than a year later, a surprise visit by the National Human Rights Commission (which includes the Committee for the Prevention of Torture) on 17 September 2026 presented a more complex picture of life inside the center. The Commission interviewed the majority of the juveniles, along with the administration and the staff, reviewed the files, and recorded direct observations on the conditions and services. In its report issued on 21 September, it spoke of sharp gaps between the legal guarantees and the actual reality of residence, care, and protection, amid a severe shortage of human, medical, and financial resources. In contrast, the Commission did not paint a single-pole picture; it recorded some improvements compared to previous visits, and it also distinguished between what its team observed directly, what the administration and staff reported, and what the juveniles stated as allegations requiring an independent investigation. Rehabilitation: between the workshops and realityIn this reality, the question starts from the fundamental purpose for which the center was established: rehabilitation. Inside al-Warwar there are literacy programs and workshops for carpentry and barbering, which are fundamental pillars in the philosophy of rehabilitation. But the Commission observed, at the same time, the suspension of some workshops and the failure to operate other equipment, including equipment that had not been transferred from Roumieh and a training kitchen that remained out of service, and it recommended expanding the programs and operating the suspended facilities. The problem does not lie in the number of workshops recorded on paper, but in the time the juvenile spends learning and the outcomes he acquires. Rehabilitation gains its meaning when it turns into knowledge or a skill that accompanies the child after his release, not when the activity remains confined within the walls of the institution. ” Changing the building from Roumieh to al-Warwar is a positive step, but it does not address the deep problems in the justice system ” Health care is not a marginal detail, and rehabilitation is not separate from the child’s daily living conditions. The Commission recorded a scarcity of water, and problems with cleanliness, waste management, maintenance, and sleeping beds, in addition to the spread of cases of scabies, fungal infections, allergies, and skin inflammations, not to mention observations about the quality of the food. On the level of health care, the report pointed to the absence of a regularly dedicated doctor and nurse, the faltering provision of some medicines, and the difficulty of transferring juveniles to external medical facilities. As for psychological and social support, it remained limited, despite previous indicators of self-harm, suicide attempts, and escape attempts, alongside the recording of cases of harassment and violence among the juveniles. Mental health acquires great importance in an environment in which children live far from their families and under the weight of judicial proceedings. On 29 September 2025, a 14-year-old Syrian juvenile died inside the center following a previous suicide attempt in the same month. According to a statement by the Internal Security Forces, the juvenile had been transferred to the hospital following a suicide attempt on 5 September, where he underwent medical follow-up and treatment, before later dying as a result of hanging himself. The Directorate stated, based on the forensic doctor’s report, that there were no traces of violence on his body. These facts do not in themselves prove a direct link between the death and the center’s conditions, but they shed light on the utmost necessity of providing health and psychological care and early-intervention mechanisms for the children placed in it. Protection inside the centerAlongside health care, physical protection represents a fundamental pillar of the center’s tasks. During the recent visit, some juveniles reported being beaten. Here the Commission clearly distinguished between the testimonies of the statements and the proven field reality; it did not treat the accusations as definitive facts, but rather recommended opening an independent investigation, conducting confidential medical examinations, preserving the evidence, and protecting the witnesses from any retaliatory acts. The Commission also observed the spread of the “shawish” phenomenon, where some juveniles take on organizational roles inside the center to fill the shortage in the administrative staff. The Commission considered that granting a juvenile actual authority over his peers disrupts the balance of power, recommending the abolition of these powers and the provision of direct professional supervision. Justice does not begin at the gate of al-WarwarHowever, the protection of the child does not begin the moment he arrives at the rehabilitation center, but from the moment he enters the justice system. According to the Juvenile Law No. 422\/2002, priority is given to non-custodial measures, while detentions and custodial measures are considered a last resort to be invoked according to the circumstances of each case. The Commission documented in previous reports problems in the places of initial detention, including the presence of juveniles in holding cells designated for adults, and the recording of the placement of female minors in centers designated for adult women. Hence, the protection of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":17373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[625,396,429],"tags":[347,422],"class_list":["post-17386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-issues","category-protection-gateway","category-unfiltered-voice","tag-lebanon-en","tag-silat_wassel-en"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website.png",2048,900,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website.png",2048,900,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website.png",2048,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website-300x132.png",300,132,true],"large":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website-1024x450.png",1024,450,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website-1536x675.png",1536,675,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Website.png",2048,900,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"\u0631\u064a\u0645\u0627 \u0634\u0627\u062a\u064a\u0644\u0627","author_link":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/author\/rima-chatila\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Issues<\/a> The Protection Gateway<\/a> Unfiltered Voice<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"On the morning of the third of September 2025, a number of juveniles left their ward in Roumieh prison heading to al-Warwar. The road was not long geographically, but it was supposed to be a new beginning for children who had entered the justice system while under the age of eighteen. The difference was not…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In this reality, the question starts from the fundamental purpose for which the center was established: rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\" Changing the building from Roumieh to al-Warwar is a positive step, but it does not address the deep problems in the justice system \"<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Alongside health care, physical protection represents a fundamental pillar of the center’s tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the protection of the child does not begin the moment he arrives at the rehabilitation center, but from the moment he enters the justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legal framework changes again when the juvenile reaches the age of eighteen. Reaching this age does not mean the automatic end of the measures taken against him; the Juvenile Law allows, in certain cases, the extension of some measures until the completion of the age of 21 by a reasoned judicial decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between the legal texts and the field reality, the bigger picture becomes clear: the crisis is not confined to a single building, but goes back to the entire system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\" Juvenile justice is not measured by the number of beds, but by the extent of its ability to give the child a real chance at a new beginning \"
<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
After a year has passed, the address changed from Roumieh to al-Warwar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n