or a copy of parental documentation—which can range from proof of a parent’s identity (containing names and birth date) to proof of their nationality, marriage, or legal migration status in the country where the birth is being registered. A key question will be whether a project intends to work with in situ populations or with stateless migrants. Most stateless people are in situ and have ties to only that state. They live in that state yet are not recognized as a national of that state. However, some programs that may benefit from this guide will address those who have potential entitlement to multiple nationalities due to having ties to more than one country. Generally speaking, practitioners will be engaging with their own government for the in situ stateless and may have to work with other countries’ governments for those with ties to multiple countries. However, it is important to note that in many cases in situ stateless populations are stateless because the state where they live considers them to be foreigners, and, in these and in other cases, in situ stateless people and migrants may live together in the same community. Assisting indigenous populations with proof of legal identity may be especially difficult, since certain cultures may not find civil registration or international borders relevant. Many languages have no exact translation of “nationality” or “citizenship” as defined by the present-day nation–state system, and paralegals or their interpreters may have to convey messages in culturally-appropriate terms, without compromising on legal accuracy. Plural legal regimes may also be recognized, and paralegals might need to be trained to navigate these where appropriate. In addition to paralegal projects that support individuals to obtain documentation to help them enjoy rights, this guide will be useful for projects that go beyond facilitating access to legal identity documentation. Ensuring clients can use their legal identity documents to access their rights may come later in the evolution of a project and depend on institutional capacity, how much discrimination limits the usefulness of citizenship documents, or the breadth of the project’s empowerment objectives, among other factors. CASE STUDY In South Africa, stateless migrants have no option but to apply for asylum, but the overburdened system generally rejects their claims, leaving them vulnerable to deportation to countries that do not recognize them as nationals. Asylum seeker permits allow them to work legally and complete their studies. South Africans who cannot obtain recognition of their nationality do not even have this option. At Lawyers for Human Rights, lawyers help paralegals, most of them law school students, to assist with cases of statelessness in South Africa, providing legal advice, drafting letters and other documents, representing clients, and helping clients write their affidavits if a court order is needed. 1.3 Assistance that Empowers Individuals and Communities Legal empowerment is both a process and a goal. Legal empowerment is a movement that seeks to challenge systematic inequality and discrimination by connecting disadvantaged communities with tools that will help them access justice. Those who typically face inequality and discrimination in acquiring legal identity documentation are often the most vulnerable in society. More than 75% of the world’s known stateless populations are members of minority groups.2 Most people who cannot 2. DISCRIMINATION EMPOWERMENT SUSTAINABILITY DATA RELATED RESOURCES (EXTERNAL) RELATED SECTIONS (WITHIN) UNHCR, Stateless Minorities: http://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/stateless-minorities/. A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y | 13