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THE PROBLEM

People who are stateless usually do not have any identifying documents at all, such as passports or birth certificates. Most significantly, those who are stateless are unable to obtain documentation.

It's possible that you've made numerous attempts to obtain a passport, birth certificate, identification card, or even to deport yourself, only to keep getting turned down because you "don't qualify."People who lack citizenship are denied fundamental human rights, which frequently results in:
 

  • NO Education

  • Family separation

  • NO Identification (NO ID, bank accounts,  driver's license, etc.,)

  • NO Healthcare

  • NO Work

  • NO Travel

  • Detention

  • Homelessness

  • Poverty

  • Marginalization

  • Depression, Severe Anxiety and Mental Health Issues

What is
Statelessness?

The international legal definition of a stateless person is set out in Article 1 of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, which defines a stateless person as "a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law". It means that a stateless person does not have nationality or citizenship in any country of the world.

Here, nationality refers to the legal bond between a person and a state. This bond can best be seen as a form of official membership which confers upon the national certain rights (like the right to live in the country or participate in elections) as well as duties (like the duty of military service, where this is still in place).

A person who is stateless lacks this membership and will be seen and treated as a foreigner by every country in the world.

What Problems Do Stateless People Typically Face?

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