be found in Africa, Asia and in the Middle East.12 Further, laws that discriminate against children born out of wedlock, for example by making it more difficult for them to acquire their father’s nationality, can also contribute to statelessness. 1.2.3 Consequences of statelessness Most stateless persons encounter many difficulties in every aspect of daily life. Often, stateless persons do not enjoy basic human rights protection. Even though the enjoyment of fundamental human rights is not formally dependent on citizenship status, many States extend human rights protection to their nationals only. Stateless parents may experience difficulties obtaining a birth certificate for their children. Generally, stateless persons have problems obtaining personal identification documents. Without such documents, they have problems enjoying their basic rights. Specifically, stateless persons may face obstacles accessing education or health care services, entering the labor market, traveling abroad, or owning land or other property. Stateless persons may not be able to open a bank account, inherit wealth, or get legally married. Being socially and economically excluded, stateless persons are vulnerable to abuse and destitution, and many stateless populations belong to the most marginalized and vulnerable groups worldwide. Also, stateless persons may be detained for prolonged or repeated periods because they have no identity documents or because they are considered to be illegal aliens, yet there is no country to which they can be returned. 1.3 The international and regional legal framework The international legal framework relating to statelessness consists of international instruments and regional instruments. At the international level, two conventions deal specifically with statelessness: the aforementioned 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The 1954 Convention guarantees to persons who are stateless the enjoyment of a minimum set of rights, while the 1961 Convention provides a set of safeguards for states to include in their nationality laws to ensure that statelessness be avoided. The 1954 Convention entered into force in 1960 and has 86 State Parties.13 The 1961 Convention entered into force in 1975 and has 65 State Parties at the time of publication.14 In June 2014, UNHCR published the Handbook on Protection of Stateless Persons, which provides interpretative legal guidance for governments, NGOs, legal practitioners, decision-makers, the judiciary, and others working on statelessness. The Handbook addresses the definition of a stateless person, procedures to determine who is stateless, and the legal status of stateless persons at the national level. UNHCR’s Guidelines on Statelessness No. 415 address the prevention of statelessness at birth under the 1961 Convention. 12 12 UNHCR, Background Note on Gender Equality, Nationality Laws and Statelessness 2014, 8 March 2014, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/532075964.html. 13 UN Treaty Collection database, available at: https://goo.gl/5w3hiK. 14 UN Treaty Collection database, available at: https://goo.gl/FnjkoP. 15 UNHCR, Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4: Ensuring Every Child’s Right to Acquire a Nationality through Articles 1-4 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (“UNHCR Guidelines on Statelessness No. 4”), 21 December 2012, HCR/GS/12/04, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/50d460c72.html. M A P P I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S I N L I T H UA N I A