What it is
The right to a nationality is a fundamental human right. It means that every person has the right to get, change and retain a nationality (OHCHR, no date). Official citizenship gives individuals a recognised legal identity before the law. Without it, a person becomes stateless. Stateless people are often blocked from essential services like healthcare, education, legal employment, and travel. Having a nationality provides legal protection necessary for all other basic human rights.
When a person has no nationality, they are stateless. Millions of people around the world are in this situation. A stateless person is "a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law." In simple words, no country recognises them as a citizen.
The United Nations (UNHCR) estimates that at least 12 million people worldwide are stateless. Without a nationality, it is very hard to live a normal life. Stateless people often cannot:
* go to school or university
* visit a doctor or go to a hospital
* get a legal job
* open a bank account
* get married legally
* travel freely to other countries.
The main cause of statelessness is discrimination. More than 75% of stateless people belong to minority groups. People often lose or are denied their nationality because of their:
* race, ethnicity, or language
* religion or beliefs
* gender (in some countries, mothers cannot pass their nationality to their children).
Having a nationality does not end discrimination completely, but it gives people the legal right to stand up for their human rights.
Personal stories
Noor’s story: Noor is a Rohingya woman who grew up in a rural village in Myanmar. Her parents could not get official identity cards for their children because of systematic discrimination against their ethnic minority group. When Noor turned 18, she wanted to move to a nearby city to study nursing, but the authorities refused to allow her to travel and her application was rejected because she lacked official citizenship documents.
Later, when Noor tried to open a small bank account to save money from selling woven textiles, the bank turned her away. Without legal identity papers, Noor cannot work legally, get proper healthcare, or travel across military checkpoints. She feels like she does not belong in the land where her family has lived for many generations.
Luis’s story: Two years ago, Luis and his wife had to leave Venezuela quickly because of economic hardship and political instability. During their long journey through Central America toward the north, they lost a backpack containing their original birth certificates and passports. Later, as they stayed in a temporary transit shelter in Mexico, their baby daughter, Carmen, was born.
Because Luis and his wife were in transit without valid foreign IDs, the local authorities refused to issue an official birth certificate for Carmen. Now two years old, Carmen has no legal connection to Venezuela or Mexico. Luis worries constantly because without a birth certificate, his daughter cannot get vaccines through public healthcare. When she is older, she won't be able to enroll in school.
Some broader issues
Lost documents: People escaping war or disasters often lose their birth certificates, passports, and other documentation. Without official identity papers, crossing borders safely becomes nearly impossible. Replacing lost papers is extremely difficult when local offices are destroyed or closed. Without proof of who they are, families can remain stuck in temporary camps for years.
Risks to children: When families move without documents, children born during the journey may not get registered and risk remaining stateless throughout their lives. These children grow up without access to basic rights, like vaccinations or school. As a result, poverty and lack of opportunity follow them into adulthood.
Passport inequality: Freedom of travel depends heavily on where you are born. People with passports from wealthy countries travel easily across international borders, while people from poorer or unstable countries face severe restrictions. They may be banned from entering different countries. Applying for international visas is often very expensive and complicated for these individuals. Even when they have full citizenship, their passports do not give them equal freedom to explore or work abroad.
Refugee rights: Under international law, people escaping danger have a right to seek asylum. Refugees are people who have fled their countries to escape conflict, violence, or persecution and have sought safety in another country. However, many governments close their borders and turn refugees away, in the name of national security. This pushes vulnerable families into illegal or dangerous transport routes run by people smugglers. Many refugees are left living in uncertainty without legal permission to rebuild their lives.
The status of long-term immigrants: Millions of people live and work in foreign countries for decades without receiving permanent legal status or citizenship. This prevents them from having full rights. They pay local taxes and contribute to their communities every day, but they live with constant fear of deportation. If they lose their job or face an emergency, they rarely qualify for government support.
(1) Statelessness: 法的に存在しない人たち“無国籍者”どの国にも属さない人たちを支援するために
(2) Citizenship education: 世界中で見直される「シティズンシップ」教育の在り方
(3) Resident status: The Mainichi. (6 July 2021). Japan is young Kurd's only home, despite challenges of 'illegal resident' status. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210705/p2a/00m/0na/025000c
(4) Permanent residence: CBC. (15 October 2022). I used to be stateless. That's why I value my Canadian permanent resident card so much. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/first-person-from-stateless-to-permanent-resident-1.6591133
(5) Refugee rights: United Nations. (no date). Refugees. https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/refugees
(1) Asylum for Palestinians: Deutsche Welle. (15 July 2024). Challenges facing Palestinian men seeking asylum in Europe as they flee the war in Gaza. (8 minutes, 15 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygao73eup5k
(2) Statelessness awareness: UNHCR. (1 July 2020). Who are stateless people? (2 minutes, 12 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJVU-fjPrzY
(3) Refugees' everyday activism: News Now. (4 November 2021). Rohingya refugees restore depleted forest in Bangladesh. (8 minutes 6 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT1pE3RK9fA
What do you find interesting, surprising, or worrying about Nationality and Citizenship issues?
What specific issue do you want to research further regarding Nationality and Citizenship ? Why?
What focus do you want to take in your inquiry:
Individual: Personal experiences and perspectives
Local: Situations and issues in a local community, town, or city
Organisational: Actions taken by local or regional organisations
Systemic: Law, policy, human rights, or international frameworks
Combined: A mixture of multiple angles
4. Write down your initial research questions and your next steps.