HARVARD  HUMAN  RIGHTS  JOURNAL  ONLINE          JANUARY  2015   The  remainder  of  this  article  establishes  that  the  intersection  of  discrimination   in  nationality  law,  criminalization  of  adultery,  and  stigmatization  of  births  outside  of   marriage  creates  a  risk  of  statelessness  for  non-­‐‑marital  children  in  the  MENA  region.   In  some  cases,  it  is  impossible  to  register  the  birth  of  a  non-­‐‑marital  child.  Even  where   safeguards   explicitly   allow   for   conveyance   of   nationality   for   non-­‐‑marital   children,   some   parents   will   not   register   their   children   for   fear   of   governmental   or   societal   repercussion.  Children  left  without  confirmation  of  their  identities,  place  of  birth,  or   descent,  are  then  left  at  risk  of  statelessness.     Nationality  laws     Most  countries  in  the  MENA  region  convey  nationality  by  default  through  the   father.   Many   countries’   nationality   laws   allow   women   to   pass   their   nationality   if   the   child’s   father   is   stateless,   unknown,   or   of   unknown   nationality,21   but   these   safeguards  are  simply  not  implemented  in  many  countries  and  thus  remain  illusory.   Provisions   that   allow   children   to   take   the   mother’s   nationality   where   the   father’s   identity  or  nationality  is  unknown,22  taken  literally,  mean  that  the  mother  does  not   know  who  the  father  is.  Such  provisions  do  not  include  situations  in  which  a  woman   knows  who  the  father  of  the  child  is,  but  is  not  married  to  the  father.  Thus,  if  a  child   results   from   adultery   or   even   non-­‐‑consensual   sexual   contact,   the   child   would   not   take  the  mother’s  nationality  because  the  father  is  not  unknown.       20 Children   born   of   coercive   relationships   during   armed   conflict   may   also   be   rendered   stateless.23   In   Iraq,   for   instance,   large   portions   of   territory   have   been   controlled  for  months  at  various  points  by  al-­‐‑Qaeda  and  related  militias.24  Under  al-­‐‑ Qaeda  rule,  militants  forced  young  women  into  marriages,  often  without  revealing   their   own   identities.   Hundreds   of   children   were   born   to   militant   fathers   and   Iraqi   mothers  who  were  married  in  religious  ceremonies  but  whose  marriages  were  never   documented.25   Because   those   children   cannot   prove   their   paternity   or   ‘legitimacy,’   they   are   not   recognized   as   Iraqi   nationals   and   cannot   obtain   birth   certificates,   passports,   or   national   identification   cards.   Without   documentation,   the   children   cannot  enroll  in  school  or  access  state  services.    Their  mothers,  as  well,  are  subject  to   social  stigma,  seen  as  single  mothers  who  have  had  children  out  of  wedlock.   Adultery  laws                                                                                                                              UNHCR,  supra  note  7,  at  2.    Id.   22    Id.   23  Michael  Goodhart,  Sins  of  the  Fathers:  War  Rape,  Wrongful  Procreation,  and  Children’s  Human  Rights,  6   J.  HUM.  RTS.  307,  307–309,  319  (2007).       24  Leila  Fadel,  Children  of  al-­‐‑Qaeda  in  Iraq  Pay  for  Sins  of  their  Fathers,  WASH.  POST  (Sep.  21,  2010),   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-­‐‑dyn/content/article/2010/09/20/AR2010092005696.html.   25  Id.   20 21 4       Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2547550