The plight of the world's 10 million stateless: How Ireland helped give one man his life back

At every stage of life, Fahad Al-Enzi* struggled with the discrimination he faced in his country of birth.

He was denied a birth certificate. Free schooling was unavailable and when he looked for work, there were few jobs he could do legally.

“Here in Ireland, I am treated with respect. But in Kuwait, I was like a foreigner in my home. I couldn’t do anything”.

Fahad, like another 106,000 Kuwaiti Bidoon, is stateless.

They live under the radar of normal society, without access to essential documentation such as birth and marriage certificates, as well as access to free government schools and the country’s healthcare service. They face numerous obstacles in their day-to day-day lives, in a scenario repeated across countries around the world. 

At least 10 million people worldwide are stateless. Some are trafficked. Many are vulnerable and open to exploitation. Others are paid far less than the going wage for legal work. None of them can enjoy their full rights as citizens.

There are many reasons for this.

Many end up on the wrong side of redrawn borders. Others inherit it from their parents, unable to become citizens despite having deep-rooted and longstanding ties to their communities and countries. Others have become stateless due to administrative obstacles; they simply fall through the cracks of a system that ignores or has forgotten them.

In the former Soviet Union, over 600,000 remain stateless. Some 300,000 Urdu-speaking Biharis were denied citizen ship by the government of Bangladesh when the country gained its independence in 1971 while 800,000 Muslim Royingha in Myanmar have been denied citizenship under the country’s 1982 citizenship law.

As a result, their freedom of movement, religion and education is severely curtailed.

In the case of the Bidoon, it is because of their origins in the desert. Descended from nomadic tribes who moved from one place to the next, they were not registered for nationality rights when Kuwait became independent in 1961. Half a century later, their children and grandchildren suffer the consequences. 

“When I came here, and saw the streets, I felt freedom. If police stop me here they do so with respect. In Kuwait, I was put in prison for selling watches in a market.”

Despite the obstacles, the instruments are in place to tackle the consequences of statelessness. In Bangladesh, thousands of stateless Urdu-speaking Bihari were formally recognised in 2008. Countries have begun setting up determination procedures to recognise stateless people and in the past three years there have been an unprecedented 40 accessions to the two Statelessness conventions.

They may seem like considerable steps for those countries that take them. But they have a significant impact on the lives of those who would otherwise endure long waits to do the things we take for granted.

“It has taken 10 years, but I’ve finally received leave to remain in Ireland and am now working” says Fahad. “This is just the beginning for me.”