Statelessness in South Africa
According to the United Nations, “stateless persons are individuals who are not recognised as nationals by any state under the operation of its law” (UNHCR, 2022). This lack of nationality means stateless individuals are often denied the most fundamental human rights including access to education, healthcare, legal employment, and even the right to marry. The UNHCR estimates that 4.4 million people around the world are currently...
Documentation, Documentation, Documentation!
When we consider people on the move and their interaction with government authorities or access to services one of the matters that is often raised is identification and/or enabling documentation and the absence thereof presents with a number of challenges. We regularly hear about documentation allowing for migration via regular channels or that a migrant migrated via irregular channels because they did not have the requisite documentation. The absence of documentation for migrants creates another layer of vulnerability...
SIHMA supports call for states, donor, and other stakeholders to protect the rights of stateless persons in COVID-19 responses
As governments around the world are developing necessary plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 84 civil society actors have come together to urge states, donors & other stakeholders to protect and promote the rights of the stateless. Migrants, refugees, populations at risk of statelessness and the stateless themselves, are paying the highest price. Many are facing racism, xenophobia, denied access to critical health services and information on prevention and treatment. Additionally, many are fearful of...
