It should be noted that the Constitution protects the right of every child to ‘a’ nationality, not necessarily to South African nationality. However, the South African Citizenship Act is more explicit in section 2(2), which provides that any person born on the territory who is stateless is entitled to South African citizenship by birth, provided the birth is registered in accordance with South African law. The right to nationality may begin at birth but does not end when a person reaches adulthood; on the contrary, when a person reaches adulthood, the importance of nationality only increases. An identity document becomes necessary to do just about anything to improve one’s position in life, such as furthering one’s education, getting a job, opening a bank account, applying for financing, buying a car and a house and much more. The Constitution's protection of the child's right to a nationality enables legal practitioners to advocate for all people's right to nationality by linking section 28(a) to the right to human dignity in section 10 of the Bill of Rights, which also applies to all persons, regardless of citizenship. The Constitution also prohibits deprivation of nationality, in section 20 where it states simply: ‘No citizen may be deprived of citizenship’ (emphasis added). There are sections on deprivation of citizenship in the Citizenship Act, finalised in 1995, prior to the final Constitution's promulgation on 18 December 1996, that violate this constitutional provision. Despite several amendments to the Citizenship Act since its enactment, the sections on deprivation of citizenship still stand. Legal framework on nationality and statelessness in South Africa nationality from birth – it goes further than even the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which only protects the child's right to acquire a nationality (unless the child is stateless at birth, in which case the ACRWC protects the child's right to acquire the nationality of the birth country).24 The Bill of Rights also protects the fundamental rights that flow from nationality, such as the right to equality (section 9), the right to freedom of movement (section 21), the right to freedom and security of person (section 12), and again, importantly, the right to human dignity (section 10). These rights apply to citizens and non-citizens alike and can be used as critical tools to protect the rights of the stateless in South Africa. Indeed, it is these specific rights which are most often denied to stateless persons as a result of their lack of nationality and immigration status. In assisting specific clients, practitioners can examine the Bill of Rights more closely to distinguish which rights are reserved for 24 Article VI of the 1999 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Promoting citizenship and preventing statelessness in South Africa: A practitioner’s guide 21