A/78/256 father, as is the case in Colombia. Furthermore, single mothers and women survivors of sexual violence or gender-based violence face discrimination by the authorities when obtaining citizenship documentation, owing to stigmatization. In several countries, children of single mothers who are unable to prove the identity of the father are unable to acquire nationality and derivative rights. Fears and motivations of States to exert demographic control 25. Gender-discriminatory nationality laws may be used to exert demographic control over who is included and excluded by controlling women’s rights. In Lebanon, women married to non-Lebanese men cannot confer their nationality on their children, with the authorities claiming that this restriction prevents a disruptive shift in the sectarian and demographic balance. 21 The demographic implications of marriages between Lebanese men and foreign women are not raised as a similar concern, thus underscoring the patriarchal nature of the restriction. Women’s sexual and reproductive rights may also be restricted as a method of population control, as is the case in Myanmar, where, under the Population Control and Health-care Law, married women are required to ensure an interval of at least 36 months between births, otherwise their children may not be registered and would be rendered stateless. In Nepal, perceived demographic threats owing to open borders with neighbouring countries have also resulted in the instrumentalization of women’s rights. 22 Intersecting discrimination 26. Gender-discriminatory nationality laws are often compounded by intersecting forms of ethnic, religious, racial and linguistic discrimination, with the affected minorities facing serious obstacles in accessing their right to nationality and thus being rendered stateless, as is the case of Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian and Russian speaking minorities in Europe, minorities of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic, minorities of Bengali descent in India and the Rohingya in Myanmar. The causes of statelessness also vary and are rooted in long-standing and intersecting forms of discrimination, which exacerbate barriers to nationality acquisition procedures. In Kuwait, stateless Bidoon with disabilities face discriminat ion with regard to gaining access to services (see A/HRC/43/41/Add.1). In Assam, India, women and girls from marginalized communities who have limited financial resources and education may be arbitrarily deprived of their citizenship as a result of indirect discrimination or owing to a lack of acceptable documentation. 23 PalestinianSyrian women found it more difficult to flee the Syrian Arab Republic on account of their gender and their lack of effective protection by any State. They were harassed for not having a male guardian based on the family law of the Syrian Arab Republic and were often denied entry on account of their Palestinian identity cards and travel documents, which are issued by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to Palestinian refugees habitually resident in the country and show that they are not in possession of Syrian nationality. 24 27. Women from religious minorities also face compounded, intersecting forms of discrimination. In Myanmar, the Buddhist Women Special Law of 2015 imposes restrictions on Buddhist women who wish to marry outside their faith and requires mixed-religion couples to obtain permission to marry, which may be denied at the discretion of local authorities. Women from ethnic minorities face additional difficulties in regularizing their status and acquiring legal documentation, including birth registration, owing to language barriers, limited access to information, unfair __________________ 21 22 23 24 10/23 Submission by Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. 23-14780