MAPPING OF THE POPULATION AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS IN ALBANIA ANNEX 2 PROFILES OF THE INTERVIEWED STATELESS OR AT RISK OF BEING STATELESS PERSONS PROFILES OF THE INTERVIEWEES FOR THE MAPPING REPORT Interview 1 I.T. was an Albanian citizen. She lived with N.L. for a 5-year period. During this period two children, a girl and a boy, currently aged 15 and 14, were born. In both cases, the mother gave birth in a health institution but gave incorrect information on her identity and as a result the children were not registered. I.T. suffered with mental health issues and in 2005, she committed suicide. Today, the children remain unregistered at the Civil Registry Office. Their father (N.L.), throughout this period, cared for the children but without being able to register them as he and the children’s mother weren’t legally married. As a result of not being registered, the children have not been provided with health care and also had no opportunity to attend pre-school or later school education. Interview 2 Xh.A. and K.M, both Albanian citizens, are the parents of a 1-year-old boy who is unregistered and at risk of being stateless. They migrated for about two years to Sweden where their son was born in a health institution. At the time of delivery, Xh.A. and K.M. were not married. At birth, however, they stated that the child would take the father’s surname. After Xh.A and K.M. returned to Albania, they went to the civil status office to register their child and consequently confirm his Albanian citizenship. However, the Civil Registry refused to register the child on the grounds that as long as a child is born out of wedlock and the parents are not legally married, the child cannot obtain a surname other than that of the mother. The authorities suggested XH.A. and K.M. to return to Sweden to fix the surname on the child’s birth certificate and then to return for registration. Xh.A. and K.M. are stressed and do not understand why their child is not registered. Also unclear to them is the fact why the registration of a child should be conditioned by maternal marriage. XH.A. and K.M. have no way of returning to Sweden, the child cannot even travel because there is no document for his identity and he also does not have access to the services. 68 UNHCR - TLAS / May 2018