The boys roved by themselves and in small packs up and down Hamra Street in Beirut, shoeshining equipment in one hand and attracting the attention of passers-by with the other. Ahmed Hamsa, 15, from Daraa, Syria, is the unofficial ringleader of a group of about 20 boys on the streets of Beirut. They come and go all day long, nearly all from Daraa. Some shy away from the cameras while others, like Ahmed, speak boldly. All refuse that I meet their families. “They wouldn’t like it,” Ahmed said, while pointing to another boy. “His father would beat him if he knew.”

These are some of the shoeshiners of Beirut, transported from the neighboring country embroiled in a civil war. They are among the estimated 180,000 child laborers in Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Labor. UNICEF communication specialist Miriam Azar said that number is higher. “[That number] is an estimate … basically we’re talking about hundreds of thousands,” Azar said.

Lebanon now has the highest concentration of refugees in the world. Last month, the millionth Syrian refugee was registered with the United Nations. Before the Syrian conflict broke out, the population of Lebanon was about 4.2 million. Syrians now make up more than a quarter of the country.

According to UNICEF, one in 10 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are working. With only one-third receiving schooling and the difficulty for many families to make ends meet, the number is likely even higher. These estimates from the Syrian spillover can easily be seen in urban areas throughout Beirut, with children begging, shining shoes and selling everything from gum and tissues to white gardenia necklaces and roses.