Causes of Statelessness
Contradictory laws
The rules for granting citizenship are not the same in every country. Some countries grant it based on the principle of birthplace – jus soli. Others grant it based on the principle of descent – jus sanguinis. This creates legal loopholes through which countless children worldwide fall.
State dissolution or succession
States dissolve, are newly founded, become independent, and split up. Governments redefine national identity – often excluding minorities in the process. This can render thousands of people stateless overnight.
Legacy of colonialism
The colonial powers drew arbitrary borders and forcibly separated communities. When the colonies gained their independence, they had to redefine their identity. Displaced people and expellees were marginalized in the process. Colonialism rendered them stateless.
Arbitrary or political denial of citizenship
Some governments use the revocation of citizenship as a weapon. With arbitrary laws, they exclude people from society based on their ethnicity, religion, or language. This is often a precursor to persecution and violence.
Administrative and structural obstacles
For the granting of citizenship, countries require proof of identity. This can include, for example, a birth certificate or proof of residency. Particularly rural or nomadic communities often lack these documents – and become stateless.
Inheritance of Statelessness
Children of stateless parents become stateless themselves. Inheritance is the most common reason for statelessness worldwide. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was actually supposed to prevent this. It obliges all countries to grant children citizenship, but in many places it has not been implemented into national law.
Discriminatory citizenship laws
In 24 countries worldwide, mothers are not allowed to pass on their citizenship to their children. If the father is stateless, unknown, or absent, the child becomes stateless. Such patriarchal legal systems therefore discriminate not only against women but also against their children.
Human trafficking
When people are kidnapped, they often lose their identification documents. If they can no longer prove their citizenship and identity afterward, they become stateless. Statelessness itself can also make people targets for human traffickers.