Welcome to 'Tales of Belonging' — a three-part podcast series where women affected by statelessness in the Netherlands share powerful stories of identity, resilience and hope.

The 'Journeys Through the Dutch Migration System' episode focuses on the legal barriers stateless people are forced to navigate, highlighting how procedural gaps and rigid policies deepen exclusion and delay recognition.

During this episode, you will listen to these terms: 

- IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst) is the government body responsible for assessing asylum and residence applications;

- DT&V (Dienst Terugkeer en Vertrek) oversees return procedures for people who are required to leave the country;

- Gementees (municipalities) handle day-to-day services such as statelessness registration, social support and access to basic rights. 

We would love to hear from you! Let us know what your thoughts and comments are on our social media (Instagram or Facebook) or send us a message at info@statelessrightscollective.nl. 

This is the last episode for now. Stay tuned for more in the future!

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Welcome to 'Tales of Belonging' — a three-part podcast series where women affected by statelessness in the Netherlands share powerful stories of identity, resilience and hope.

The 'Life on Hold in the Netherlands' episode focuses on the lives of Mona, Farah, Halima and Sarah and their families living in AZC's (asylum seeker centres). From navigating the challenges of confined spaces and uncertainty about their future, to answering children’s difficult questions and coping with trauma, these stories reveal the emotional and practical struggles of their lives on hold in the Netherlands. 

We would love to hear from you! Let us know what your thoughts and comments are on our social media (Instagram or Facebook) or send us a message at info@statelessrightscollective.nl. 

Stay tuned! The next episode will be out next week. 

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The concluding episode reflects on the challenges, successes and cases presented throughout the series, and offers some conclusions while also setting a possible agenda to increase positive change.

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’. The series aims to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. You can share your questions and reflections on the issues raised using the hashtags #NationalityForChildren and/or #ForInclusiveSocieties and find us through our twitter handle @institute_si. You can also send an email to  info@institutesi.org.

Narrator and partner in production is Andy Clark from Podcast4u. Music comes from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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Episode five of the What’s Best for Children’s Nationality Podcast series zooms back out from the specific country contexts to explore the joint, global UNHCR-UNICEF initiative: the Coalition on Every Child’s Right to a Nationality. UNHCR’s Radha Govil and UNICEF’s Kerry Neal highlight their organisation’s involvement in this Coalition and some real-life problems of childhood Statelessness that they’ve come across through their work. 

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’. The series aims to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. You can share your questions and reflections on the issues raised using the hashtags #NationalityForChildren and/or #ForInclusiveSocieties and find us through our twitter handle @institute_si. You can also send an email to  info@institutesi.org. 

With thanks to the following people for their participation in this episode:

• Radha Govil from the UNHCR
• Kerry Neal from UNICEF

Narrator and partner in production is Andy Clark from Podcast4u. Music comes from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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This episode of the What’s Best for Children’s Nationality Podcast considers stories of childhood statelessness in South Africa. An interview with Liesl Muller from Lawyers for Human Rights puts strategic litigation and international advocacy at the centre of ensuring safeguards in the nationality law in order to prevent such childhood statelessness. These good practices are also reflected upon by European Roma Rights Centre’s Adam Weiss in the context of antigypsyism in the processes around nationality acquisition. 

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’. The series aims to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. You can share your questions and reflections on the issues raised using the hashtags #NationalityForChildren and/or #ForInclusiveSocieties and find us through our twitter handle @institute_si. You can also send an email to  info@institutesi.org. 

This episode was created in partnership with Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), an independent human rights organisation that supports human rights activism and public interest litigation in South Africa. With thanks to Liesl Muller from LHR and to Adam Weiss from the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC). Our special thanks also goes to Love for her additions to this podcast. 

Narrator and partner in production is Andy Clark from Podcast4u. Music comes from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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Episode 3 of the What’s Best for Children’s Nationality Podcast explores the situation in Lebanon, where childhood statelessness exists in a setting of forced migration and is linked with obstacles to the registration of births among children of refugees from Syria – leaving them without proof of their ties to their country of origin and at a risk of ending up without a nationality. Martin Clutterbuck from the Norwegian Refugee Council in this podcast talks about how legal counselling and assistance are employed to counter this. 

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’. The series aims to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. You can share your questions and reflections on the issues raised using the hashtags #NationalityForChildren and/or #ForInclusiveSocieties and find us through our twitter handle @institute_si. You can also send an email to  info@institutesi.org. 

This episode was created in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in the Middle East, a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. With thanks to Martin Clutterbuck from NRC and to Maalini Ramalo from Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas in Malaysia (DHRRA Malaysia). Our special thanks also goes to Kholod and to Racha El Daoi and Mike Bruce from NRC for making those recordings. 

Narrator and partner in production is Andy Clark from Podcast4u. Music comes from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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In this edition of the What’s Best for Children’s Nationality Podcast we zoom in on Nepal, where gender discrimination in nationality laws creates statelessness among children. Interviews with Nepali activists Deepti Gurung and her daughter Neha demonstrate how community mobilisation, education and awareness raising are being used to promote equal nationality rights and work towards social and legislative change. With Catherine Harrington from the Global Campaign on Equal Nationality Rights explaining that there are 25 countries left around the world that discriminate women in their ability to pass on nationality to their children, lessons drawn from the work in Nepal are relevant to many other advocacy contexts.

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’. The series aims to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. You can share your questions and reflections on the issues raised using the hashtags #NationalityForChildren and/or #ForInclusiveSocieties and find us through our twitter handle @institute_si. You can also send an email to  info@institutesi.org. 

With thanks to the following people for their participation in this episode:

• Deepti and Neha Gurung, from the Citizenship Affected People’s Network in Nepal
• Catherine Harrington, campaign manager for the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights 

Narrator and partner in production is Andy Clark from Podcast4u. Music comes from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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What are the causes of childhood statelessness? And what would be the consequences? This first episode of the What’s Best for Children’s Nationality podcast covers the basics of the causes and consequences of childhood statelessness, the obligations under the CRC and some reflections on opportunities, challenges and good practices. The episode includes an extended interview with Benyam Dawit Mezmur, a leading international expert on and proponent of the child’s right to nationality, and a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC). 

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’. The series aims to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. You can share your questions and reflections on the issues raised using the hashtags #NationalityForChildren and/or #ForInclusiveSocieties and find us through our twitter handle @institute_si. You can also send an email to  info@institutesi.org. 

With thanks to Benyam Dawit Mezmur, member of the CRC and ACERWC Committees and Associate Professor of Law at the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights at the University of Western Cape. Thanks also to Laura van Waas from the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion. 

Narrator and partner in production is Andy Clark from Podcast4u. Music comes from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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ISI has partnered with UNICEF to produce this six-part podcast series, ‘What’s Best for Children’s Nationality’, to build knowledge around childhood statelessness and the right of every child to a nationality by exploring good practices in the field with examples, challenges and successes from real-life settings. 

A child without a nationality can struggle to obtain a birth certificate, access schooling, see a doctor and participate fully in society. To be stateless is to be an outsider, even in your own country, which can also have a severe impact on a child’s mental well-being and sense of self-worth. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) affirms the right of every child to a nationality precisely because it is a critical enabler for other child rights and integral element of a child’s identity. Yet it is a right that has historically received relatively little attention, as compared to other child rights, in part because the phenomenon of childhood statelessness is often invisible and/or poorly understood. This is now changing as the international community steps up its efforts to address statelessness globally, with a strong focus on children and this podcast series explores some of the lessons learned so far. 

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In this, the final episode of the Paperless People Podcast, we reflect on what we have learned from the series and try to explore possible solutions to the issues raised.

After highlighting the risks of SDG Goal 16.9, in this episode we hear from a range of experts on how we can help to make people visible, without leaving them excluded,  and as more people gain a ‘legal identity’, we discuss ideas on how to ensure those left without are able to benefit from development processes. 

With thanks to the following people for participating in this episode:

• Joshua Castellino, Minority Rights Group International (MRG) and Middlesex University 
• Laura Goodwin, Namati 
• Kata Buzkich, Microjustice4all
• Peter van Sluijs, Cordaid
• Laura van Waas, Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion

Please join the conversation, send us your ideas, reflections and feedback on #PaperlessPeople to our twitter @institute_si or reach out to us at info@institutesi.org

This podcast series was produced by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion was hosted by Senior Researcher, Zahra Albarazi. The podcasts were supported by the Knowledge Platform for Security and the Rule of Law (Knowledge Management Fund) and created with the help of podcast expert Andy Clark who you can reach via www.podcasting4u.com

Music from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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In this edition of the Paperless People Podcast we follow the stories of two people from the Dominican Republic, exploring how domestic law and policy is perpetuating their legal invisibility and discrimination against them. Through these stories and expert analysis, we explore how the UN Sustainable Development Goals may struggle to achieve what they set out to do if the approach to implementation and monitoring does not account for structural discrimination that is too often leaving certain people behind: in this case the Dominicans of Haitian descent.

This podcast series, produced by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, with the support of the Knowledge Platform for Security and the Rule of Law (Knowledge Management Fund), explores how the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals need to be re-thought in order to effectively address statelessness challenges. Share your questions and reflections on the issues raised via @institute_si  /  info@institutesi.org

This episode was created in close partnership with OBMICA, a human rights organization based in the DR. With thanks to Bridget Wooding and her team.

Music from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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In this edition of the Paperless People Podcast we follow the stories of two families in Assam, India, exploring how new cases of statelessness and legal invisibility are being created in this region on a worrying scale. Through these stories and expert analysis, we explore how the UN Sustainable Development Goals may struggle to achieve what they set out to do if the approach to implementation and monitoring does not account for structural discrimination that is too often leaving certain people behind: in this case the new stateless community in India. 

This podcast series, produced by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, with the support of the Knowledge Platform for Security and the Rule of Law (Knowledge Management Fund), explores how the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals need to be re-thought in order to effectively address statelessness challenges. Share your questions and reflections on the issues raised via @institute_si  /  info@institutesi.org

This episode was created in close partnership with the Development and Justice Initiative, a human rights organization based in India. With thanks to Ravi Hemadri, Leander Toppo and their team. 

Music from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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Welcome to 'Tales of Belonging' — a three-part podcast series where women affected by statelessness in the Netherlands share powerful stories of identity, resilience and hope.

The 'Living Without a Nationality' episode focuses on what statelessness is, its causes and consequences. It follows Mona, Farah, Halima and Sarah as they share their journeys, revealing the real-life challenges of being stateless as women and mothers living in the Netherlands. 

We would love to hear from you! Let us know what your thoughts and comments are on our social media (Instagram or Facebook) or send us a message at info@statelessrightscollective.nl. 

Stay tuned! The next episode will be out next week. 

Support the show

In this edition of the Paperless People Podcast we follow the stories of two Roma families, exploring how policies in Serbia are perpetuating their legal invisibility. Through these stories and expert analysis, we explore how the UN Sustainable Development Goals may struggle to achieve what they set out to do if the approach to implementation and monitoring does not account for structural discrimination that is too often leaving certain people behind: in this case the Roma in Serbia. 

This podcast series, produced by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, with the support of the Knowledge Platform for Security and the Rule of Law (Knowledge Management Fund), explores how the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals need to be re-thought in order to effectively address statelessness challenges. Share your questions and reflections on the issues raised via @institute_si  /  info@institutesi.org

This episode was created in close partnership with Praxis, a human rights organization based in Serbia. With thanks to Ivanka Kostic and her team.

Music from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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Having explored the challenges surrounding statelessness in our first episode, in this second Paperless People Podcast we explore what the UN Sustainable Development Goals are, or are not, doing to address those challenges. Through interviews with experts, we explore how the well-intentioned target of providing “legal identity” to people around the world has the potential to do harm as well as good - and could leave more people stateless as well as stateless people even more marginalized.   

This podcast series, produced by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, with the support of the Knowledge Platform for Security and the Rule of Law (Knowledge Management Fund), explores how the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals needs to be re-thought in order to effectively address statelessness challenges. Share your questions and reflections on the issues raised via @institute_si  /  info@institutesi.org 

With thanks to the following people for their participation in this episode:

• Laura Bingham, Managing Legal Officer for Equality/Citizenship at Open Society Justice Initiative
• Joshua Castellino, Professor of Law at Middlesex University and Executive Director of Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
• Bronwen Manby, Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics, specialising in citizenship and legal identity issues in Africa

Music from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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What is statelessness?  What does it mean to be stateless?  And why should we care? In this first episode of The Paperless People Podcast, we will be exploring these questions and more. We talk to human rights activists and experts working to try and address the global and worrying issue of statelessness. 

This podcast series, produced by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, with the support of the Knowledge Platform for Security and the Rule of Law (Knowledge Management Fund), explores how the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals needs to be re-thought in order to effectively address statelessness challenges. Share your questions and reflections on the issues raised via @institute_si  /  info@institutesi.org 

With thanks to the following people for their participation in this episode:

• Tendayi Achiume, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
• Joshua Castellino, Professor of Law at Middlesex University and Executive Director of Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
• Gerard-Rene de Groot, Emeritus Professor of Private International Law at the University of Maastricht, specialising in comparative nationality law
• Khalid Hussain, Council of Minorities in Bangladesh - and formerly stateless activist for citizenship rights
• Bronwen Manby, Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics, specialising in citizenship and legal identity issues in Africa

Music from Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear under Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution License. 

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Imagine having no recognized identity – not belonging – being excluded. Even the basic things in life – getting a job, seeing a doctor, going to school, owning a house – are blocked for you. It is a life of uncertainty in which you dangle in a precarious legal limbo. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals have set the target of getting everybody registered so they can prove their legal identity. Sounds great in principle, but are the right decisions being made? And is there a danger that well intentioned policies could leave the most marginalized and vulnerable locked into invisibility and exclusion? In the Paperless People Podcast we explore these questions with stories from around the world and expert analysis. We look closely at how legal identity and statelessness are interacting, zooming into three countries: Serbia, India and the Dominican Republic. And talk about current attempts to try and tackle statelessness. Listen to the podcasts and find out more. The Paperless People Podcast is brought to you by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion. 

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The concluding episode featuring Amal de Chickera, Areej Al-Shammiry, Catherine Harrington, Subim Mulmi, Shahd Qannam, is a three-part roundtable with conversations across the different themes, allowing the guest speakers to speak more holistically about the issues at hand & lessons learned.

The episode is divided into 3 main parts:

1.     Relationship between statelessness and discrimination 

2.     Emerging trends and debates around statelessness 

3.     How to centre stateless individuals and those with lived experience in the field. 

 
Amal de Chickera is a co-founder and one of the Co-Directors of the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, the first and the only human rights NGO working on statelessness globally. Amal is a Sri Lankan human rights lawyer, advocate and activist, with expertise in the right to nationality, statelessness and discrimination.

Areej Al-Shammiry is a researcher and a community activist. She researches, writes, advocates and consults on statelessness. Her work is inspired by post/de-colonial, Marxist, abolitionist, Indigenous and anti-racist feminist frameworks.

Catherine Harrington is the Campaign Manager for the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, a coalition of UN agencies, international, regional and local NGOs, academics and civil society partners, housed within the Women's Refugee Commission.

Subin Mulmi is the Human rights lawyer and researcher based in Nepal. He is currently the Executive Director at Nationality for All (NFA).

Shahd Qannam is a Palestinian activist and researcher, currently working on her PhD in Law at the City Law School, City, University of London. Shahd is also a programme officer at the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion.

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The State Formation episode by guest speakers Shahd Qannam and Areej Al-Shammiry, explores the roots of the idea of “nation” and the process of state formation. Statelessness dates back to the emergence of nation states and state formation in general. Some examples of where this has occurred is in Kuwait with the Bidoon community, and in Israel with the Palestinians. The guest speakers discuss the idea of borders and its artificial role in “protecting” nation states.

Shahd Qannam is a Palestinian activist and researcher, currently working on her PhD in Law at the City Law School, City, University of London. Shahd is also a programme officer at the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion.

Areej Al-Shammiry is a researcher and a community activist. She researches, writes, advocates and consults on statelessness. Her work is inspired by post/de-colonial, Marxist, abolitionist, Indigenous and anti-racist feminist frameworks. 

2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY, 12 JUNE - 3 JULY 2023.

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Our introductory episode by guest speaker Amal de Chickera, discusses the overall aim of the podcast, the themes that will be covered, the structure of the podcast, and a brief historical background on the issue. The episode highlights the different themes that will be covered throughout the podcast series including history of colonialism, patriarchy, state formation, xenophobia and racism, and digital ID and documentation.

Amal de Chickera is a co-founder and one of the Co-Directors of the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, the first and the only human rights NGO working on statelessness globally. Amal is a Sri Lankan human rights lawyer, advocate and activist, with expertise in the right to nationality, statelessness and discrimination.

2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY, 12 JUNE - 3 JULY 2023.

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The Colonialism episode by guest speakers Joshua Castellino and Subin Mulmi, discusses the history and impact of colonialism and its role in creating statelessness. The causes of statelessness that exist today were habituated by the colonial powers to their own benefits with the forced displacement of the colonised leaving thousands of people stateless.

Joshua Castellino is the Executive Director of Minority Rights Group International and Professor of International and Comparative Law at Derby University, United Kingdom. 

 Subin Mulmi is a Human rights lawyer and researcher based in Nepal. He is currently the Executive Director at Nationality for All (NFA).
 
2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY, 12 JUNE - 3 JULY 2023.

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The Digital ID episode featuring Laura Bingham and Mustafa Mahmoud, looks at digitalisation of IDs and the impact this has on statelessness. Colonial powers introduced the idea of documentation to determine who “belongs” to the state and who does not. IDs are another form of discrimination against stateless people that first started with colonialism and this part of the podcast unleashes the history of documentation, politics of digital ID and the discrimination against stateless individuals through the lens of colonialism. 

Laura Bingham is an international human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the Institute for Law, Innovation, and Technology at Temple Law School, United States.

Mustafa Mahmoud is a Co-Director of Namati with over nine years of experience supporting partner organizations working with community-based paralegals on Citizenship rights, inclusion, and statelessness in Kenya, Bangladesh, Jordan, and Myanmar.   

2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY, 12 JUNE - 3 JULY 2023. 

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The Racism & Xenophobia episode featuring Tendayi Achiume and Jaivet Ealom, explores the relationship between institutional racism, xenophobia and statelessness. Many states, whether through their politics or laws, discriminate against minorities, denying them equal access to citizenship. This discrimination against the stateless is rooted in the idea of “outsider”. Colonialism created a system of hierarchy where certain groups think of themselves as superior and more deserving of life. As a result, statelessness is manufactured, and the stateless are denied access to fundamental rights.  

Tendayi Achiume is a Professor of Law at UCLA Law School and former UN Special Rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

Jaivet Ealom is a Toronto-based author, former refugee, refugee advocate, and the only person known to have escaped from Manus Island Detention Centre in Papua New Guinea. Ealom was born in Mynamar where he faced persecution, as a Rohingya ethnic minority.   

 2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY, 12 JUNE - 3 JULY 2023. 

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Our Patriarchy episode by guest speakers Catherine Harrington and Patricia Low, discusses the patriarchy and its role in creating statelessness. The episode will analyse deep-seated patriarchy, how it views and constructs identity, political participation and gendered roles, and how this creates layers of discrimination against women—women are often seen in opposition to men and their rights, and lives, are at the discretion of men. 

Catherine Harrington is the Campaign Manager for the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, a coalition of UN agencies, international, regional and local NGOs, academics and civil society partners, housed within the Women's Refugee Commission.

Patricia Low is from Malaysia and she is a writer, a mother of two, and an advocate from the Family Frontiers Mothers’ Network. She is one of the many women affected by Malaysia’s gender-unequal citizenship law, which denies citizenship by operation of law to children born abroad to women married to foreign spouses.

2 NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY, 12 JUNE - 3 JULY 2023.

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