However, this is not purely based on being a stateless person per-se which they think puts an individual at risk of discrimination or abuse, but is mainly due to their lack of legal status. The absence of a formally recognized status and life without valid documentation is the main reason for problems with law enforcement authorities. In this context, approaching law enforcement authorities may appear risky for stateless persons, as they would be requested to present legal identification. No specialized training is provided to sensitize law enforcement authorities to the plight of stateless persons. UNHCR in the Kyrgyz Republic has incorporated a statelessness component into its training and capacity building activities for law enforcement authorities in an attempt to address this gap. 4.2 Sexual and gender-based violence There were no reports of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) towards stateless persons raised during the Focus Group in the North. Although the surveys did not report any SGBV cases among stateless populations, the Focus Groups indicated an unmistakable vulnerability amongst undocumented women in mixed marriages. Women married to Kyrgyz nationals, living in the Kyrgyz Republic either as undocumented or with expired passports that attended the Focus Group in the South, discussed their full financial and social dependence on their spouses or in-laws. In particular, discussions with stateless women by UNHCR and the NGO team in the Southern border districts underlined an increased potential risk for SGBV. They reported that a lack of nationality and proper documentation creates difficulties for undocumented stateless women. They cannot formally approach authorities for assistance due to invalid identity documents. In addition, in the absence of established nationality and proper documentation, these women have limited opportunities to be gainfully employed and therefore are fully dependant on their national family members. The absence of the appropriate form of documentation for instance limits married women from seeking a divorce which is further complicated by a difficulty in finding potential housing or employment; and worse off, not being able to return to their country of birth due to the expiration of their national passports. Women in this situation are often afraid of being ejected from family homes and therefore keep the lowest profile in the household. Furthermore, they are not entitled to receive any social allowance for their children. Therefore, they are often considered to be a burden on the family and are believed to be unable to contribute to the prosperity of the overall family. Currently a national programme aimed at raising awareness and prevention of SGBV does not exist. Nor are there any government ran programs to train law enforcement and executive authorities to respond and prevent SGBV. UNHCR and other UN agencies include SGBV components in their workshops and trainings for public officials, law enforcement and implementing partners. 4.3 Protection of children The Kyrgyz Republic has been party to the CRC since 1994, and has its own national law the Child Code (of 7 August 2006). Stateless children are not specifically targeted in the administrative and legal framework of the country, and they therefore enjoy the same protection, social, educational and medical services on a general basis. During the Focus Group in the North, stateless children did not report any differentiation in treatment from nationals. Thus, all children confirmed that their attendance at school and access to educational facilities is equivalent to nationals. Children and their parents confirmed that they are covered for all immunization and vaccination programs undertaken in their places of residence. None of the children faced restriction in accessing extracurricular activities such as school sports etc. The only problem raised by parents was the difficulty Small Changes ‫ ـ‬Big Gains: An Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Statelessness in the Kyrgyz Republic 76