Everything you need to know about statelessness

The right to a legal identity or the right to a legal ID?

Proposed target 16.9 of the soon-to-be-adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reads: Provide legal identity to all, including birth…

Jus Soli: A miraculous solution to prevent statelessness?

Granting nationality at birth to children born on the territory of a country – the “jus soli” principle – is often seen as an effective tool to…

The case of Zoja - I am no longer legally invisible, but I remain invisible in the eyes of the state where I was born and where I have lived for 34 years

There is no doubt that the procedure for determining the time and place of birth established by the Law on Amendments to the Law on Non-Contentious…

Legally Invisible in Serbia

Just outside the front door of their shack in an informal Roma settlement in central Belgrade, Serbia, 15-year-old Deni and his six brothers and…

Strategically litigating statelessness: ENS’s three-year strategy

The European Network on Statelessness (ENS) is launching its three-year litigation strategy, based on the belief that part of the fight to end…

The case of Valjbona and her children - lack of birth registration leaves many Roma children in a situation of undetermined nationality for an extended period of time

“Once I acquire nationality, my children will finally be able to go to the doctor’s when necessary and I will not have to pay for medicines. Nearby…

Preventing Childhood Statelessness in Europe: Issues, Gaps and Good Practices

The European Network on Statelessness (ENS) has published a new report, Preventing Childhood Statelessness in Europe: Issues, Gaps and Good Practices.

Abandoned by parents, neglected by the State

„...I just want to get an ID card, like other citizens, and then register the birth of my children. My greatest wish is that my children go to…

New Birth Registration Procedure – Impact on the Prevention of Statelessness in Serbia

In August 2012, a new court procedure for determination of date and place of birth was established in Serbia. It is intended for the persons who…

Working towards the eradication of statelessness in South Eastern Europe

Several contributors have reported on this website on statelessness in South Eastern Europe and on initiatives to strengthen civil registration and…

From Commitments to Achievements? The Zagreb Declaration on Access to Civil Documentation and Registration in South Eastern Europe

We know that there are still around 20,000 people who lack basic civil documentation and registration in South East Europe. This figure can only be…

Examining the human impact of legal identity documentation – one client at a time

Working on issues like citizenship, equality and inclusion – issues that both inform and are informed by ponderous social constructs like belonging…