Long road to a happiness: the story of a stateless family with four children. Natalia Gulyak has a large and close family, together with her husband they raise four sons. The happy life of Natalia and her husband Vladimir was complicated by one circumstance: Natalia did not have citizenship or […]
Long road to a happiness: the story of a stateless family with four children.
Natalia Gulyak has a large and close family, together with her husband they raise four sons. The happy life of Natalia and her husband Vladimir was complicated by one circumstance: Natalia did not have citizenship or valid documents, so the parents could not register their children and receive birth certificates. Due to the lack of documents, Natalya constantly had to face difficulties: she could not get a job, receive social benefits and enjoy free medical care.
Natalia was born in 1985 in the city of Magnitogorsk in Russia. In 1998, she and her mother moved to Kazakhstan for family reasons. After moving, Natalya lost her birth certificate received in the Russian Federation. She could not get an identity document, since her mother only had an invalid Soviet passport issued in 1974.
For Natalia’s mother, this problem was solved: in 2014, her Russian citizenship was confirmed, after which she returned to her homeland. Whereas for Natalia, luck was not on her side, as she was not recognized as a citizen of the Russian Federation due to the gaps in the nationality laws.
The relocation of her mother did not contribute to a successful resolution of Natalia’s stateless problem, she was not able to help her daughter restore the lost birth certificate. In 2009, Natalya met a young man named Vladimir, with whom she started a family. But they could not register the marriage, since Natalia did not have any documents.
2018 was a turning point in Natalia’s life. It all started when a neighbor told her about a non-governmental organization called “Legal Center for Women’s Initiatives” Sana Sezim,” UNHCR partner organization, offered free assistance with documentation. A neighbor accidentally saw in a bus information about the services that the Center is providing. Natalya decided to give it a try and seek their help.
The NGO lawyers helped Natalya to collect the required documents and sent the necessary requests to the state bodies. As a result of these efforts, Natalya was documented with a stateless person’s certificate and received an IIN (individual identification number).
In accordance with the current legislation, officially recognized stateless persons have almost the entire range of rights on an equal basis with citizens, with certain exceptions, such as the right to vote and be elected.
Natalya’s youngest child was born after she obtained her documents and she was able to register his birth and receive a birth certificate.
“Sana Sezim” is currently working on documenting her three other children.
Today, more than 10 million people around the world do not belong to any country. They are called stateless persons. Some people become stateless at birth, while others become stateless during their lifetime. Often in such situations, people do not seek help due to fear, financial situation, lack of legal awareness, or because they feel helpless and depressed. But the consequences can be devastating and this can lead to a life full of constraints, fear and despair without benefiting of fundamental rights and enjoying life.
Stateless persons are particularly vulnerable in matters relating to the services provided by the State to its citizens, especially with regard to access to health care, education, employment and the conclusion of various civil status acts.
To attract attention to the problems of people who often go unnoticed, in 2014 UNHCR launched the #IBelong campaign, which aims to eradicate statelessness within a decade. It is a powerful platform for active action in addressing existing stateless situations and intensifying efforts to prevent new cases of statelessness. Since the launch of the campaign in Kazakhstan, UNHCR and partner organizations, have helped more than 1,700 stateless people living in Kazakhstan.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
