2.3 Consequences of statelessness Statelessness costs people dearly. Stateless persons are among the most vulnerable in the world. In principle, individuals are entitled to most human rights protections regardless of their citizenship status. In practice, however, statelessness often results in the denial of fundamental rights, provoking social and economic hardship, and acute vulnerabilities, most notably for stateless women and children. Authorities may refuse to register the birth and issue a birth certificate to a child whose parents cannot prove that they hold the nationality of their country of residence. Without such a birth certificate, the child in question is much more likely to experience trouble proving nationality (or enjoying a host of other rights) in the future. Stateless people may experience similar hindrances in obtaining personal identification documentation. Considering that stateless people are often at increased risk of discrimination, abuse, detention or expulsion, not being able to present an identity document may increase the incentive to shun participation in society altogether. They may not be able to own property, open a bank account, get married legally or raise a child. While access to the labour market and housing is either difficult or barred completely, stateless people often cannot access national services such as public education, healthcare and pensions. The right to own or inherit property may be restricted or fully denied. Similarly, it can be virtually impossible to start a business due to the inability to enter into contracts, obtain licences or open a bank account.33 This way, poverty becomes an integral part of stateless life. Stateless persons are sometimes forced to obtain false identification documents or assume alternate identities in order to engage in day-to-day activities. Some face long periods of detention, because they cannot prove who they are or where they are from. Statelessness may also result in the denial of a person’s right to reside in the country, which results in a heightened chance of expulsion from their own country.34 However, they also face restrictions on freedom of movement, including on travelling – and returning from – abroad. Legitimate international travel may not be an option, resulting in significantly increased exposure to human smugglers and traffickers; “an industry that thrives on the desperation of individuals”.35 On a wider level, statelessness may hamper social development efforts, because “the concept of statelessness introduces a power-dynamic that is particularly challenging for the design and delivery of effective pro-poor social development programmes”.36 Furthermore, the problem becomes self-perpetuating because stateless parents cannot pass a nationality to their 31 Loi No. 61-70 du 7 Mars 1961 déterminant la Nationalité Sénégalaise, and subsequent amendments, Article 5. 32 For more information on specifically gender-related problems facing stateless women and girls, see UNHCR, Handbook for the Protection of Women and Girls op cit. 33 UNHCR, Action to Address Statelessness: A Strategy Note, March 2010, p.14 available at: http:// www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4b9e0c3d2.html. 34 UN Human Rights Committee, CCPR General Comment No. 27: Article 12 (Freedom of Movement), CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.9, 2 November 1999, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/ docid/45139c394.html. 35 M. Lynch, Statelessness: International blind spot linked to global concerns”, Refugees International Field Report, 2 September 2009, p. 2. 36 B.K. Blitz, Statelessness, protection and equality, Refugee Studies Centre, Forced Migration Policy Briefing no. 3, 2009, p. 3. in the United Kingdom 25