“Being stateless has cost me my child” Zenepe was born in Greece to Albanian parents. She never had a birth certification nor any other documentation. Zenepe moved back to Albania with her mother after her parents split up. Zenepe was raised by her grandparents, but they never registered her as she was born in Greece. Zenepe was raised by her grandparents. They never registered her as she was born in Greece. Zenepe married informally due to her lack of civil status. After giving birth to her son, she could not register him because she dind’t have any identity documents. In an attempt to assist, a local NGO helped her register her son, but as the lawful son of her parents-in-law. After Zenepe divorced her husband, she was permanently separated from her son who stayed with her in-laws. She is devastated not to have legal custody of her son. She has no financial means to be able to claim her civil status, identity, and legal assistance. To resolve these issues, more attention must be paid to parental rights at European, national, and local level. Although States have international obligations to protect the best interests of the child, it appears that despite the best efforts of stateless and Roma women activists and wider civil society, Roma women’s parental rights are not being prioritised. Women in different countries, including those affected by statelessness, need access to information about their rights, and they need effective, accessible, non-discriminatory legal aid to resolve their (risk of) statelessness and assert their parental rights. Births must be registered immediately in line with international law, even if mothers lack civil status or identity documents. 3. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS The links between statelessness and violence against women and girls are under-researched and poorly understood. 20 There is an urgent need for more focus and attention on how the intersecting forms of discrimination outlined in this paper may exacerbate risks of Roma women affected by (risk of) statelessness experiencing different forms of gendered violence. It is important to consider the potential emotional and psychological harms associated with denying women their right to an identity and sense of belonging as well as risks that perpetrators of abuse could use women’s lack of documentation as a form of control or coercion. A lack of economic independence, limited access to information, language and literacy barriers, as well as exclusion from social security services reduce women’s agency and choices, and when combined with antigypsyism, can foster distrust and prevent women from escaping violence, seeking help, or accessing justice. If women do seek help, stereotypical and discriminatory attitudes on the part of authorities and service providers, may impact on the support they receive. Edwards, A. ‘Displacement, Statelessness, and Questions of Gender Equality and the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women’ (April 2009) Background paper prepared for a joint United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women seminar, to be held at the United Nations in New York, 16-17 July 2009 <Microsoft Word - UNHCR_CEDAW_background paper 4.doc (ohchr.org)> 20