Law or policy reform enabling acquisition of nationality by registration The mapping and registration project started in Kedah and Perak. In 2015, registration was carried out in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. Community-based paralegals identified stateless households based on knowledge from key informants. The registration process involved mobile registration teams as well as community-based paralegals to collect necessary information. This information was used to provide individual applicants with tailored counselling and assistance.46 The paralegals addressed issues in acquiring nationality documentation using a combination of legal and non-legal tools including mediation, advocacy, education and community organizing. Paralegals assisted the applicants with submitting their nationality application to the NRD. They also assisted applicants with preparing for language tests, family tracing, and accessing services. For example, in cases involving stateless children, the paralegals used the proof of submission of the nationality application to facilitate their registration with the State Education Department to ensure that they were enrolled in school. More complex cases were referred to DHRRA’s team of pro bono lawyers. The paralegals further assisted with gathering information, setting up meetings with lawyers, and acting as interpreters for applicants who could not converse in Malay or English. Unsuccessful applicants were assisted with resubmission. DHRRA’s mapping exercise was the first time that data on statelessness in Malaysia was collected. In total, 13,076 stateless persons were registered with DHRRA, and out of these cases, 12,786 nationality applications were submitted to the authorities as of June 2017, of which 4,036 had been granted citizenship.47 In addition to registration and legal assistance to facilitate the acquisition of Malaysian nationality, the project also resulted in a comprehensive situation analysis. Volunteers collected social welfare statistics such as level of employment, access to education, early marriage, and child labour. The analytical data, disaggregated by key factors such as age and gender, can reveal patterns in civil registration including areas with low birth 46 DHRRA Malaysia, “Monthly Bulletin”, April 2016, available at: https://dhrramalaysia.org.my/publications/dhrra-buletinapril-2016/. 47 Para 4 of “Update on statelessness”, Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme, 69th meeting of the standing committee, 7 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/59a58d724.pdf The 350 cases that were registered with DHRRA but whose cases had not (yet) been submitted as of September 2019 include newly registered cases that have yet to be submitted and complex cases that could not be resolved by the National Registration Department and needed legal remedy from courts. DHRRA continues to source for funding to cover the litigation fees of the pro bono lawyers. U N H C R > G P P A C T I O N 1 : R E S O LV I N G E X I S T I N G M A J O R S I T U AT I O N S O F S TAT E L E S S N E S S 39