All Children Should Belong, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Say
“ If our hopes for the future generation are to be realized, that generation must be a meaningful part of the present. None of our children should be stateless. All children should belong.” — António Guterres (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
On the effort to establish an ideal environment for labors, International Labour Organization (ILO) has been working on maintaining the enhancement of coverage and efficacy of social protection for all. While working to create favorable conditions for workers, International Labour Organization (ILO) proceeds to support efforts to employ stateless individuals.
The 1954 convention on United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) defines a “stateless person” as someone who is not considered as a national by any State under operation of its law. Meanwhile, stateless individuals can come from various circles, such as children. Some states, whom support the prohibition of mother-children passing their ethnicity are condemned to be a law fallacy.
Children born out of wedlock in countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Qatar, and Swaziland are not capable of attaining citizenship status through their mother’s nationality. In some others, various affairs regarding the failure to obtain citizenship has made these children unlikely to acquire education and facilities to sustain their wellbeing.
Without documentation, these children practically does not breathe as the state’s citizen. Many of them testify what it is like to be one of them. They were being said to be carried away into a psychological toll, describing themselves with derogatory words such as “invisible”, “alien”, “living in a shadow”, “like a street dog”, and “worthless”.
These children were supposed to be the future generation of workers but are currently detained into a questionable state; will they be able to free their status and enjoy the ability to apply as workers in their residency?
A 22 year old stateless, Kavita, as seen in the stateless stories published under United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website is an example of stateless children suffering from the loophole resulted by the unclear path of the regulations established. Her father’s death and her mother’s departure are such factors that contribute to her abstain nationality.
As a result, she is not capable of applying to college and on top of that, unable to find a secure financial closure due to the fact that it is not possible to work formally in the country she is living in. She is now one of the numerous amount of children striving to get their rights recognized.
“Try to understand our lives, that we are also human beings and we live in this country,” Kavita said during an interview with UNHCR representative.
Currently, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports on 3.9 million stateless people but this is known to be an underestimate and a global figure of at least 10 million is used; many of which are in a lot worse condition than Kavita. Having no rights in the society, they may be potentially exposed to constant abuse and exploitation.
These children are present in this world without any sense of belonging and protection as their safeguards, although all they are asking for is not a special treatment, but an equal opportunity, as what they should have deserved in the first place.
“I am here. I belong.”
Bibliography
UNHCR. “Convention Relating to The Status of Stateless Persons”. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (1954): https://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/wp-content/uploads/1954- Convention-relating-to-the-Status-of-Stateless-Persons_ENG.pdf.
UNHCR. “I am Here, I Belong: The Urgent Need to End Childhood Statelessness”. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2015): https://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/wp-content/uploads/2015-10-StatelessReport_ENG16.pdf
UNHCR. “UNHCR Statistical Reporting on Statelessness”. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2019): https://www.unhcr.org/5d9e182e7.pdf
UNHCR. “Under the radar and under protected: The urgent need to address stateless children’s rights”. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2012): https://www.unhcr.org/protection/statelessness/509a6bb79/under-radar-under-protected-urgent-need-address-stateless-childrens-rights.html?query=the%20urgent%20need
