Legal responses to the right to nationality and prevention of statelessness among children in Africa

Abstract

The challenge of statelessness among children is a persistent problem that requires a wide range of measures. Already constituting a societal group in a vulnerable situation, children born into situations of statelessness often find it difficult to access essential services they are entitled to and to meet their basic developmental needs. Studies reveal that statelessness affects several million worldwide, among whom the most vulnerable are children, representing 60 per cent of the global stateless population. Although international and regional laws protect every person’s right to a nationality, statelessness among children persists as a human rights challenge globally as well as in Africa.