29 August 2016

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Measures to prevent childhood statelessness

Verena Knaus

A surge in the numbers of children seeking asylum in Europe

Number of asylum seekers in 32 European countries, by age, 2008-2016

505 635 975

3.115

4.315

6.395

3.995

1.255 1.390 1.420 1.640

3.270

6.445

7.620

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

First time asylum applications in the EU by children recorded as stateless or with

unknown nationality. Source eurostat

Stateless Unkown nationality

First time asylum applications in the EU by children recorded

as stateless or with unknown nationality, 2010-2016

Source Eurostat

Example Estonia – with over 85,000stateless persons Estonia is home toone of the largest stateless populations

Example Italy – approx. 15,000 Romachildren at risk of statelessness

In 2016, approx. 2.5% of first time asylumapplicants in Europe were recorded as‘stateless’ or of ‘unknown citizenship’ -including at least 11,315 children.

Measures to prevent childhood statelessness – UNICEF for every child

Children born stateless outsideEurope and on the move

Children born stateless in EuropeBram and Xandra (2)

Measures to prevent childhood statelessness – UNICEF for every child

Children at risk due to lack of birth registration

Siba (3)

Who are the children most at risk in Europe?

Besim (8)

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Behind the numbers

“If only I had registered mydaughter at birth, I wouldhave won the case. I would

have protected her.”

Mukasa, from Uganda, who tried to provethat his 13-year-old daughter was a childwhen she was sexually abused.

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RISKS

education

opportunities

Health care

Child

Protection

Social

Inclusion

in limbo

Measures to prevent childhood statelessness – UNICEF for every child

Abuse and

violence

DETENTION

ENDING CHILDHOOD STATELESSNESS IS POSSIBLE

7 Title of Presentation – UNICEF for every child

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Global data

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8 Measures to prevent childhood statelessness – UNICEF for every child

99,4

88,1

99,4 99,7

95,392,9

94,5

98,4

85

90

95

100

Serbia Kosovo Montenegro former YugoslavRepublic ofMacedonia

Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are reported registered

Source: MICS, UNICEF

National porcentage Roma Settlement porcentage

Europe data

Closing the gap on birth regisation is possible

What should and can be done ?

• Ensure that every child born on their territory is registered immediatelyat birth and issued a birth certificate;

• Grant nationality automatically at birth (or as soon as possible) tochildren born stateless in its territory;

• Ensure that stateless children are identified and recorded;

• Establish a formal statelessness determination procedure;

• Regulate and improve the status of stateless persons and preventviolations of rights due to discrimination;

• Ensure naturalisation procedures for stateless children are in place;

• Ensure specialized agencies such as Frontex, EASO and FRAsystematically include the identification and protection of statelesschildren and the prevention of statelessness in their work & trainings;

• Encourage and improve disaggregated data collection by age and sexrelated to statelessness.

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UNICEF –UNHCR Coalition on Every Child’s Right to a Nationality

Target countries in Europe:

• Norway

• Netherlands

• Albania

• Romania

• Serbia

• FYR Macedonia

• Kosovo

Objectives of the Coalition:

• raise awareness about childhood statelessness.

• Ensure that no child is born stateless

• Eliminate laws and practices that deny children nationality on discriminatory grounds

• Remove gender discrimination from nationality laws

• Improve birth registration to prevent statelessness

• Encourage States to accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions

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Thank You

Verena Knaus

Senior Policy Advisor,

UNICEF Brussels

11 Measures to prevent childhood statelessness – UNICEF for every child