Citizenship is a means by which states define membership and is a legal basis for certain rights. Individuals without it face myriad problems, including lack of legal protection and the right to participate in political processes; poor employment prospects and poverty; little opportunity for property ownership; travel restrictions; social exclusion; exposure to sexual and physical violence; inadequate access to healthcare and education; and oftentimes no proof of identity or registration for births, marriages, and deaths. In short, stateless individuals are some of the world’s most vulnerable people. They are also some of the least known.

This week, Refugees International will launch a mission to spotlight the global problem of statelessness and take a closer look at the humanitarian issues in three regions – Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Specific populations of focus will include Estonia’s Russian-speaking minority, the Bihari or ‘Stranded Pakistanis’ in Bangladesh, and the Bidoon in the United Arab Emirates.

When Estonia gained independence, an estimated third of the people living in its territory were Russian-speaking minorities whose families had immigrated from other Soviet republics. They have no citizenship, and are considered “aliens with undetermined citizenship.” It is difficult for these people to get jobs, obtain an Estonian passport, or travel abroad. They are unable to seek political asylum even when they are persecuted because no country can attest to their citizenship or accept them as citizens. On May 1, 2004, Estonia entered the European Union making its 1.1 million people European citizens overnight. Nonetheless, approximately 163,000, or some 12 percent of the country’s people, remain stateless.

The Bihari have ties with Pakistan and Bangladesh, but both countries have refused to offer full protection and citizenship to these people. During the East Pakistan struggle for independence in the 1970s, the Biharis sided with West Pakistan However, following India’s military intervention, which helped create Bangladesh, violence flared between the two groups. The Biharis were stripped of their property and thousands were jailed. For the past two decades some 300,000 Biharis have lived in 66 camps throughout Bangladesh where they suffer discrimination and poor conditions.

The United Arab Emirates has a population of stateless Bidoon. Despite the fact many were born in the U.A.E., they are not considered to be citizens. There is very little documentation about their current situation.

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that “Everyone has the right to a nationality,” yet statelessness remains a fundamental cause of discrimination, exploitation, and forced displacement in all regions of the world. The goal of this mission is to document the plight of populations at risk and give voice to its human costs. Ultimately, preventing statelessness contributes not only to the promotion of human rights, better quality of life for affected individuals, and overall human security, but it also aids in the reduction of forced displacement and refugee flows.