Lacking a nationality, some refugees from Syria face acute risks
A 2013 survey in northern Iraq found that some 10 per cent of Syrian Kurdish refugees are stateless, as many fled Syria before they could apply for nationality.
AMMAN, Jordan, December 20 (UNHCR) - Sayed lives in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with his three young children, having fled his home in Syria to escape the unrelenting violence. Like so many others displaced by the fighting, he is a refugee. But he and his family are also stateless, They are known as maktoumeen, or "unregistered," though Sayed reckons "unseen" would be a more accurate description.
The issue of statelessness - individuals who have no officially recognized nationality - is a problem for some Syrian refugees. A 2013 survey in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq found that some 10 per cent of Syrian Kurdish refugees are stateless, as many were forced to flee Syria before they could apply for nationality or were not eligible because they had never been registered by the Syrian authorities.
Tragically, the children of these stateless refugees will also inherit the condition of statelessness.
"In Syria, I could not register my marriage, even though my wife is Syrian and has her nationality document," said Jiwan, a 34-year-old stateless refugee also living in Iraqi Kurdistan. "Of course, my children are also maktoumeen," he added with a note of resignation.
As Syrian nationality law does not permit women to pass on nationality to their children, Jiwan's children have inherited his condition of statelessness. Jiwan and his wife are worried that it will prove difficult to register any children they may have while living as refugees. In order to register a new birth, all countries in the region require legal proof of marriage - which the couple was never able to obtain.
A 2011 decree allows registered stateless Kurds, called ajanib (foreigners), to apply for Syrian nationality, but obstacles remain. Those deemed "unregistered" are still barred from applying for citizenship. Even those who are eligible to apply for nationality face certain challenges.
Azar, a 45-year-old man who had been designated among the ajanib, successfully applied for nationality in late 2011, shortly after the passage of the decree. "When I got my nationality, I registered my two oldest children, aged nine and seven. They are now listed in my document," he explained.
But he could not afford to do this for all of his children, because the fee was the equivalent of about US$70 for each child. "I was not able to register them when they were born, because I was still stateless back then," he noted. The result is that while two of Azar's children are now documented as Syrian nationals, the status of the other two remains uncertain.
Even when their parents have always possessed Syrian nationality, the risk of statelessness among refugee children is particularly acute. Families frequently flee the violence with newborn or very young children without having been able to register them in Syria.
Birth registration is the right of all children under international law. It can help prevent statelessness by documenting the child's parentage and country of birth - the two factors used by states to grant nationality to a child at birth.
Birth registration also provides proof of age, which is critical for ensuring access to refugee protection aimed at children who, in the mass displacement from Syria, are at heightened risk of sexual exploitation and conscription into armed groups. By documenting a child's links with their country of origin or nationality, birth registration can also help to lay the foundation for a safe and voluntary return - if and when conditions in Syria allow.
With the goal of ensuring the registration of every Syrian refugee child born abroad, UNHCR is launching initiatives in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon to meet with refugee families, sensitize local authorities, and clarify registration procedures within the refugee population.
Host countries in the region are also working with UNHCR to develop a flexible approach to registering new refugee births in their territory.
By seeking to register every Syrian refugee child, the UN refugee agency is working to close a critical, if largely unseen, gap in the protection of these children and laying the foundation for their eventual return home.
A recent UNHCR report, "The Future of Syria: Refugee Children in Crisis," details the plight of Syrian refugee children in Jordan and Lebanon, including gaps in birth registration and the corresponding risk of statelessness.
By Amit Sen in Amman, Jordan
Related news and stories
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
UNHCR, IOM welcome Spain's expedited resettlement of Syrian refugees from Türkiye in earthquake aftermath
Vital aid reaches Syrian quake survivors who – again – have lost everything
Your search for « citizenship for syrian refugees » matched 722 results. Displaying page 4 of 81 pages.
-
Summary Record of the 659th meeting held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Tuesday, 2 October 2012, at 10 a.m.
11 Oct 2012 ... to be given access to refugees in neighbouring countries. ... to humanitarian programmes for the Syrian Arab Republic. 2. The ... recognized refugees could initiate citizenship procedures. ...... -
Lacking a nationality, some refugees from Syria face acute risks
20 Dec 2013 ... - individuals who have no officially recognized nationality - is a problem for some Syrian refugees. ... Those deemed "unregistered" are still barred from applying for citizenship. Even those who ...... -
UNHCR Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2015
7 Oct 2014 ... ... forms of humanitarian admission for Syrian refugees, in addition to their current resettlement quotas. ... such as employment, housing, education, health, social inclusion and active citizenship. ...... -
Summary record of the 658th meeting, Executive Committee, 63rd session
3 Dec 2012 ... ... who already possessed a residence permit to acquire citizenship of the country of asylum. ... financially to UNHCR humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees and was continuing its efforts to prevent ...... -
The Role of Resettlement in Refugee Responsibility Sharing
5 Jul 2017 ... ... and Cooperation for Refugees Project to develop and ... Trade Canada and for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, ... With the Syrian conflict now in its fifth year, and countries in ...... -
UNHCR Global Trends 2018
19 Jun 2019 ... ... The main countries of asylum for refugees were: Syrian Arab Republic 6.7 million Afghanistan 2.7 million South ... rights and, in many cases, the acquisition of citizenship in the country of asylum. ...... Attachments: Global trends 2018 annexes and tables (.zip) -
UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Accountability Report 2017
2017 ... thinks. ” Adolescent Syrian refugee This document is for ... Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, October 2018 Cover photo: ... the recognition of dual citizenship for indigenous peoples ...... -
Refugee Education Statistics: Issues and Recommendations
14 Jan 2022 ... ... ICCS International Civic and Citizenship Education Study ICILS ... Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East VASyR Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon 9 ...... -
Global Compact on Refugees - Indicator Framework 2022
12 Dec 2022 ... GLOBAL COMPACT ON REFUGEES Indicator Framework December 2022 Cover photo: Abdulrahman Alkayali, 42 and Silva Tanielian, 44 pose for ... of birth; d) Country of citizenship (including stateless, ......