81 SHAME AND STIGMA Stateless individuals tend to conceal their condition, burdened by the weight of social discrimination. Shame and fear of stigma are the main factors behind their tendency to avoid disclosing their statelessness openly. Respectively 44% and 57% of stateless respondents in Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon said that they hide their status. Surprisingly, this proportion is higher in rural areas, with 55% of respondents in Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon stating that shame prevents them from talking more openly about their statelessness. Among other reasons mentioned by respondents who prefer to hide their condition was fear of social stigma (21%) and emotional distress (9%). When looking from a cultural perspective, the Bedouin community appears the most sensitive to this issue, with a higher proportion than the general sample hiding their reality. 59% state that shame is the main reason for hiding it, compared to 40% among Kurdish stateless and 39% among Dom. Regardless of whether stateless individuals publicly mention their status, a significant majority of respondents (84%) feel that social perception changes “always”, “most of the times” or “sometimes”, when others know about their statelessness. This applies also to stateless children, with 16% of respondents claiming that their children were stigmatized at school. Fig 34. Do you avoid saying that you are stateless? 41% 54% 57% 44% Greater Beirut Yes No Mount Lebanon I don't know No answer “ Fig 35. Do you feel people's perception change when they know about your situation? 34% Don’t tell anyone about my legal status, especially my neighbors! 30% 20% 14% – Stateless man, Sin el Fil 2% Always Most of Sometimes the times Never I do not know © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.