nationality (Howard 2017, 1). In these circumstances, children may be at risk of statelessness when their refugee parents cannot secure documentation for them from their countries or origin or transit (Price 2013). c. Children born to mothers who cannot confer nationality As of 2018, mothers cannot confer nationality upon their children on an equal basis with fathers in 25 countries (UNHCR 2019, 6). In some countries, such as Iran, Qatar, and Lebanon, mothers cannot confer nationality at all. In others like Barbados, Bahamas, Kiribati, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Liberia, mothers can confer nationality only if their child is born in the mother’s country of nationality or if their father is unknown or stateless (ibid.). In most cases where mothers cannot pass on citizenship, children can acquire the nationality of their father. However, children can become stateless if they cannot acquire citizenship from their father and do not reside in a country with birthright citizenship or safeguards against childhood statelessness. This is most likely to occur if the father is stateless or if the child’s birth must be registered in their fathers’ home countries in order to gain nationality (Price 2013, 494). Children whose mothers cannot pass on citizenship may also be stateless if born to a single mother or out of wedlock (ibid., 493-494). In cases of absent fathers, it is often difficult for mothers to secure the documentation necessary to prove that their children are entitled to citizenship through their father. This may also occur in some countries if fathers have abandoned the family or passed away (DOS 2017h, 20). d. Members of nomadic groups Some small nomadic groups are at risk of statelessness. They often migrate across borders and may not be able to prove habitual residence in their territories of origin (Conklin 2014). They may also be less likely to register their children at birth (ibid.). Many nomadic groups also face discrimination by public officials that can make it difficult to register or obtain travel documents. In addition to the Roma, Afghan Jogi, and Bedouin mentioned above, other nomadic groups including possibly stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness include nomadic pastoralists in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Tuareg of the Sahara and Sahel, Malaysian and Indonesian ethnic minorities in places such as Borneo and West Papua (including the Bajau Laut maritime nomadic tribes), the Dom people (Romany from the Middle East), and India’s de-notified tribes (nomadic tribes that have been deemed “criminal” under Indian law since 1871). e. De-nationalized individuals who have not yet obtained another nationality Some individuals are stateless because their home countries stripped them of nationality before they could obtain a new nationality. As of 2018, 130 countries’ constitutions allow the revocation of citizenship, although revocation remains rare globally (Trimbach and Reiz 2018). Most commonly, citizenship is revoked if individuals are thought to be security threats, particularly if they are suspected of terrorism or engaging in military activities on behalf of an enemy state (UNGA 2013, 7-8; Trimbach and Reiz 2018). It may also be revoked if citizenship is found to have been obtained fraudulently (UNGA 2013, 5-6; Trimbach and Reiz 2018). Some countries can also de-nationalize individuals who have lived abroad for an extended period of time (UNGA 2013, 9). Although uncommon, some countries also de-nationalize their citizens due to their political opinions or ethnic or religious backgrounds (ibid., 10). US residents who lose their original nationality before obtaining US citizenship may be stateless. 39

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