DESK REVIEW ON POPULATIONS AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS
undocumented children born to at least one Filipino parent in the Gulf countries (Kuwait,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or the Unite Arab Emirates), which host the largest number of Overseas
Filipino Workers. In such circumstances, children of Filipino descent may currently be
suffering without a nationality.56
This Desk Review provides an overview of populations at risk of statelessness in the Philippines,
with a particular focus on PJD, and children of Philippine descent in a migratory setting.
There are no precise figures available, but for example, estimates from qualitative reports indicate that there are at least
around 2,000-3,000 children at risk of statelessness in Saudi Arabia alone. The Department of Social Welfare and Development
also noted that there are 600 undocumented children in Qatar, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dubai from 2018 to 2020. Please refer
to Annex A for more information. See also: Allerton C, ‘Statelessness and the Lives of the Children of Migrants in Sabah, East
Malaysia’ (2014) 19 Tilburg Law Review 26 DOI: http://doi.org/10.1163/22112596-01902004.
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UNHCR / April 2021