The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that up to 12 million people around the world are living in perpetual statelessness, lacking citizenship and protection in any country. Though it is a legal issue, it has a human impact. Stateless persons are unable to access basic rights, such as jobs, housing, education, health care, or the ability to vote.
Statelessness may be caused by gender, when countries do not recognize the nationality of a woman due to discriminatory laws. Statelessness may be inherited, by children born to stateless parents. It may be created in newly formed states, such as South Sudan, by intentional or unintentional legislative exclusion of any ethnic groups.
AlertNet has also created a statelessness campaign. The stories of stateless Nubians, Dominicans, Rohingyas and the stateless children of Sabah are highlighted on their website with short videos.
Read the full release from UNHCR
Watch the AlertNet Video Series
