Statelessness in Czechia | January 2024 11 lie. Many stateless people may have suffered traumatic experiences in their home countries, during journeys, or in host countries. This should be considered when conducting interviews with people who are or may be stateless; trauma-informed interviewing techniques should be used whenever possible.29 How can a person not know they are stateless? How can they be assisted? Svetlana is a 45-year-old woman who left a former Soviet Union republic to find work and better opportunities in Czechia. She never went to school and grew up in a remote village. Svetlana came to the Czech Republic with a valid passport and visa from the Soviet Union hoping to find a well-paid job with housing benefits, as she had heard about such opportunities in her home country. Upon arriving in the Czech Republic, Svetlana quickly realized that the job and housing she had been promised were far from what she had expected. She found herself in a situation of exploitation, working long hours for extremely low wages in a factory where many of her co-workers faced similar circumstances. The housing provided by her employer was overcrowded and in poor condition. Since she had no place to return to in her home country, she applied for international protection. After some time, the case was dismissed. In the meantime, however, Svetlana's passport had expired. She managed to reach out to local organization that assists migrants and vulnerable individuals. During the consultations the realities of her life in Czechia began to uncover. Svetlana’s lawyer takes time over several trauma-informed interviews to build trust with Svetlana, explain the law and procedures relating to seeking asylum and recognition as a stateless person, and check that Svetlana understands. The lawyer writes twice to the embassy of Svetlana’s country of birth asking if Svetlana is considered a national of that country. She gets no response. A consular officer explains over the phone that, without identification documents, Svetlana cannot enter the embassy and will not be considered a citizen. They will not take any steps to confirm that Svetlana is from that country, nor accept her return. An expert report states that the circumstances Svetlana describes are consistent with objective reports and known facts. Lawyers helps Svetlana to file the application for determination of statelessness. Questions to consider and potentially ask to identify or elicit proof of statelessness or nationality include: Question Where and when was the person born? Does the person come from a country at high risk of statelessness, affected by state succession or a land dispute? 29 Information to look out for In particular, but not limited to: Ukraine; Russia; Palestine; Western Sahara; Bangladesh; Ivory Coast; Burma; Thailand; Syria; Kuwait; Uzbekistan; Saudi Arabia; Cambodia; Iraq. For example, see: Trauma Informed Interviewing Techniques: A toolkit for attorneys and other professionals working with immigrant children (Stanford Center for Health Education & University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley); and Disclosing and identifying international protection needs in the Middle East and North Africa: Training Module, Part 3: Trauma-informed, victim-centered approaches (Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration & MENA Community Protection Network (supported by UNHCR).