Merlyn (left), seen here with her nephew CJ and cousin Adelaiza, harvests mushrooms for a
living in Kidapawan City, the Philippines. She was born in the Philippines to Indonesian parents
who made her promise to keep her Indonesian identity, a situation that eventually rendered her
stateless. Merlyn does not have Filipino citizenship, yet she has no wish to return to Indonesia,
where she has no family, no land and no understanding of the language. Merlyn’s husband and
daughter are also stateless.
38
UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2013