Anna and her family are stateless in Sweden: “My daughters deserve a future”

An estimated 4.4 million people around the world are stateless. Being stateless means you have no nationality and are not recognized as a citizen by any country, and therefore often face difficulties accessing basic rights and services. Among them is 29-year-old Anna in Sweden.

“It is very difficult to be stateless. As I got older, I felt it even more. I couldn’t travel to neighboring countries. At university, everyone found out that I was stateless, and it felt like I wasn’t included,” she explains.

Stateless from birth

In 2016, Anna gave birth to twin daughters in Sweden. Because she is stateless, her children were also born without a nationality.

It feels like a sense of belonging does not exist for me

“For the children, the situation is horrific. They come home from school and hear their friends telling fun stories about places they’ve visited, while they themselves can’t travel anywhere. It hurts as a parent to see them in such a situation.”

Sweden is home to more than 20,000 stateless persons. Among them are 10,361 children who, as of the end of 2022, were living in the country without any recognized nationality.

“Stateless children risk facing a lifetime of discrimination; their status profoundly affects their ability to learn and grow, and to fulfil their ambitions and dreams for the future,” Rania Elgindy, Associate Legal Officer at UNHCR’s Nordic and Baltic office, explains.

© UNHCR

A human-made problem

Before arriving in Sweden, Anna believed that statelessness wouldn’t be an issue. She hoped the country would offer a better life for her and her family. However, because Sweden has not found her eligible for citizenship, she remains stateless.

For Anna, being stateless has brought a deep sense of isolation.

“I have no close friends. It feels very lonely, it’s just me and my children. Every day is filled with uncertainty. I never know what will happen. It feels like a sense of belonging does not exist for me.”

Between 2014 and 2022, Sweden granted nationality to 48,217 stateless individuals. But as Rania Elgindy explains, there’s still more to be done, both in Sweden and globally.

The idea that a piece of paper can determine my children’s future is utterly absurd

“Statelessness is a human-made issue that can be resolved by eliminating discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion in nationality laws, removing gender discrimination so women can pass their nationality to their children equally, and ensuring legal safeguards to prevent children from being born stateless. Additionally, registering every birth to establish legal proof of parentage and place of birth, and issuing nationality identification documents to those entitled, are essential steps in proving nationality.”