Mivtar Rustemov and his daughter Lirije pose for a portrait while attending a UNHCR stateless workshop in Skopje, Macedonia. Most stateless persons in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia originate from other former Yugoslav republics. The community includes ethnic minorities, mostly Roma but also Ashkali, Egyptians and Albanians, who were habitual residents in the country prior to or at the time of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, but who did not manage to register in time in order to regulate their citizenship. Mivtar Rustemov said, ‘I’d like my children to have [citizenship] papers, like others have. They shouldn’t end up like me, working in the streets. I want all of them to have the same conditions as other people’s children. Without papers, they can’t even give them shoes at school, no way, they ask for a birth certificate to justify to the principle what they have given them, like they give clothes and everything to other children. He said if they receive citizenship, It will be different. They will have a better life. They will go to school and learn skills that will help them work. They will not be illiterate as I am. I am also ashamed when my friends or neighbors tell me that I have my kids on my conscience, for not providing education for them. I feel bad, like something is eating me inside. Why leave them uneducated, it’s a shame. I did as much as I could and I will continue. If I get these papers I will be so happy that I will not sleep day and night. If I used all my strength working today, I would make additional efforts, as long as I know that my kids have papers, that there are no more problems. I would have no headaches. However, I did the best I could. I went with witnesses to register my children in the Office for Management of Register of Births. I was there couple of times, and they would always tell me to wait. You are like a dead person without documents.’ ; Most stateless persons in the former Yugoslav Repub
A new UNHCR report warns that discrimination, exclusion and persecution are stark realities for many of the world’s stateless minorities, and calls for immediate action to secure equal nationality rights for all. More than 75% of the world’s known stateless populations belong to minority groups, the report notes. Left unaddressed, their protracted marginalization can build resentment, increase fear and, in the most extreme cases, lead to instability, insecurity and
displacement.
Although the report is based on research prior to late August when hundreds of thousands of Rohingya – the world’s biggest stateless minority – began fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh, their situation is nonetheless illustrative of the problems that years of discrimination, protracted exclusion and their impact on citizenship status can lead to. “Stateless people are just seeking the same basic rights that all citizens enjoy. But stateless minorities, like the Rohingya, often suffer from entrenched discrimination and a systematic denial of their rights,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
“In recent years, important steps have been taken to address statelessness worldwide. However new challenges, like growing forced displacement and arbitrary deprivation of
nationality, threaten this progress. States must act now and they must act decisively to end statelessness,” added Grandi.
The report “This is our home”: Stateless minorities and their search for citizenship is released on the third anniversary of UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign to end statelessness. It is based on consultations conducted in May and June 2017 with members of stateless, formerly stateless or at risk minority groups in Madagascar, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kenya, which were selected as examples to highlight the issues faced by stateless minorities worldwide.
Drawing on discussions with more than 120 individuals, the report shows that, for many minority groups, the cause of statelessness is difference itself: their histories, their looks, their language, their faith. At the same time, statelessness often exacerbates the exclusion that minority groups face, profoundly affecting all aspects of their life – from freedom of movement to development opportunities, and from access to services to the right to vote. The testimonies in the report show how discrimination negatively impacts stateless minorities’ communities and intensifies their anxiety for their physical safety and security. It also contributes to poverty and complicates their ability to access documentation, education and health care.
In order to ensure equal nationality rights for stateless minorities, UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign urges all States to take the following steps:
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