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Add to Preferred SourcesUNHCR study shines a light on a hidden national issue that, despite recent progress, still affects millions of people around the world.
For many stateless people in the UK, the quest for recognition and status can be a lengthy, debilitating struggle. Through bad luck or circumstance, some in the UK find themselves citizens of nowhere. Without a nationality, they struggle for years or even decades to access services, travel abroad, or adequately support themselves.
In 2013 the UK had introduced a statelessness determination procedure, offering a route to stay legitimately. Many stateless people in the UK face major obstacles trying to navigate the procedures, and suffer prolonged periods in limbo, as detailed in a new study by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, entitled “I am Human”.
Those interviewed spoke of their frustration and distress at the lengthy process and the limitations of their lack of status involved. Many cited a deterioration in mental health and raised concerns around the quality of reviews, difficulties obtaining evidence, the use of detention, and the overall process.
The UK is a microcosm of a global problem, which consigns millions to the margins of society, unable to exercise basic rights and access services. It is often an intergenerational trap, with many children born into uncertainty.
UNHCR has a global mandate to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness, and protect stateless people. UNHCR reported that there were 4.2 million stateless people in 76 countries at the end of 2019. However, the number is estimated to be much higher as there is a lack of data.
In 2013, UNHCR developed a global action plan with states, civil society, and international organizations to fight statelessness, and in 2014 launched #iBelong, a campaign to end statelessness within a decade.
Progress has been made. Turkmenistan recently introduced measures to ensure all children born in the country have their births registered. And last year, Côte d’Ivoire became the first African country to adopt a statelessness determination process.
Currently, there are no accurate estimates of total stateless numbers in the UK. The UK procedure has been in place for eight years, but only about 180 people have benefitted. Last year, UNHCR UK released an audit drawing attention to good practice as well as concerns in decision-making and delays in granting leave.
Some of the stateless in the UK have found themselves without an official status through no fault of their own, the victims of administrative oversights or failures.