cause registration of various documents and taking civil or legal actions - to give just two examples - require the consent of the (stateless) spouse or family member. The survey also revealed another 1,278 stateless persons in the families of the stateless persons that were interviewed. Of the 4,042 married respondents, 3,564 persons (88 per cent) had their marriage registered in the Kyrgyz Republic; the marriages of the remaining 478 individuals were not registered. One reason given for non-registration was refusal by civil status registrar offices because of the illegal status of the stateless person (possession of invalid or expired passports, absence of documents, etc). Most stateless persons have children born in the Kyrgyz Republic (6,749, 94 per cent of the children born to stateless persons covered by the survey). 97 per cent of these children received Kyrgyz Republic birth certificates because according to current legislation, birth registration authorities should issue birth certificates if one parent is a Kyrgyz citizen. Altogether, interviewed stateless persons had 5,352 children of school age. 94 per cent (5,016 children) attended school, while 336 (6 per cent) did not. According to respondents, children did not attend school because of economic difficulties of the family. The children of stateless persons do not appear to encounter any obstacles regarding access to the education system. Chart 5: Do children study at school? 5016; 94% 336; 6% Yes, enrolled in School No, not enrolled in School The economic situation of stateless persons Most stateless persons are married to Kyrgyz nationals, and have a source of permanent income, either through their spouses’ official or unofficial income or government benefits. As the survey mainly covered border villages, the majority of persons interviewed were engaged in agriculture. 77 per cent of the polled stateless persons possess housing in Kyrgyzstan. These houses, however, belong to their Kyrgyz family members, as the lack of a lawful status seriously limits their right to possess, use and dispose of real estate. The Situation of Stateless Persons in the Kyrgyz Republic: Findings of Surveys Commissioned by the UNHCR 23