The Plight of the Rightless: Mapping and Understanding Statelessness in Tripoli-V1.3
can be risk-taking, adventurous, short sighted, nonverbal, and impulsive. Their study shows that
lack of self-control is a major cause of criminal and violent behavior.60
Figure 18-Violence
Statelessness may bread violence, but the story does not end here. The survey inquired about
whether stateless people have been detained and if so, whether they have been treated violently
while in detention because of their stateless condition. It turned out that detention breeds even
more violence. Half of those arrested said they were mistreated because they were stateless
(violence, humiliation, and discrimination). This means that stateless people are caught in a
vicious circle where statelessness triggers violence which, in case of arrest or detention,
causes further violence.
This is best evidenced by statements made by stateless persons surveyed in Tripoli:
“During investigation, they arbitrarily took side with the party that had an ID.” Beddawi respondent,
31 January 2019
“They humiliated me and called me Ebn Haram.” Zahriyeh respondent, 29 January 2019
“I was beaten extensively during the investigation because I don’t have an ID.” Beddawi
respondent, 31 January 2019
“They beat me and cut my hair then kept me in the police station six days before processing my
case.” Hadid respondent, 29 January 2019
60
Gottfredson, Michael, and Travis Hirschi. 1990. A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ. Press. See
also Control Theories of Crime and Delinquency, Michael Gottfredson, Routledge, January 29, 2018.
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