Advocate for changes in law, policy and practice 28 ņņ Identify specific gaps in law, policy and practice that lead to arbitrary, repeat and/or prolonged detention of stateless persons. Advocate for changes in the relevant laws, policies and practices in relation to the identified gaps (grounds for detention, maximum period of detention, independent and regular reviews). ņņ Identify any government officers or lawmakers who are in a position to pursue changes in policy and law. Advocate for legal amendments to ensure alternatives are available in law and actively promote their use in practice. ņņ Identify partner organisations, lawyers, and other stakeholders who can support advocacy initiatives to release stateless persons from detention and support the establishment of appropriate reception options and community-based alternatives to detention. ņņ Consider strategic litigation at the national and, if applicable, the regional level, to challenge the arbitrary detention of stateless persons and address difficulties concerning regularisation and obtaining documentation. Where appropriate, consider requesting compensation for periods of unlawful detention. ņņ Advocate for the establishment of dedicated statelessness determination procedures to identify stateless persons in the migratory context39 or for statelessness determination to be conducted by UNHCR on behalf of the Government. ņņ Advocate for clear categories in registration practices by authorities in charge of immigration and civil status documentation that allow for stateless persons to be recorded as such. ņņ Conduct sensitisation activities, such as briefings and translation of relevant materials, capacity building and training activities, for immigration and asylum authorities as well as lawyers and the judiciary on international standards related to statelessness and detention. 39 Statelessness determination procedures generally assist States in meeting their commitments under the 1954 Convention, in particular for stateless persons in the migration context. Statelessness can arise both in a migratory and non-migratory context and the profile of statelessness in a particular country may fit one or the other scenario or might be mixed. Some stateless populations in a non-migratory context remain in their “own country” and may be referred to as in situ populations. For these groups, determination procedures for the purpose of obtaining status as stateless persons are not appropriate because of their long-established ties to these countries. The determination of their statelessness is however a relevant factor in the context of their detention and merits specific consideration in the assessment of the detention decision. STATELESS PERSONS IN DETENTION