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Our Story
We are the Stateless Rights Collective (SRC), the first Stateless-led organization in the Netherlands, founded in 2023. We advocate for the rights of people without a nationality.
Our Goals
Our goal is to create a path that spares other stateless individuals from enduring the same hardships, by building a strong base of support within the stateless community, educating the community about their rights, and advocating for change.
Our Mission
We want to raise awareness among politicians and media about our existence and our situation in the Netherlands. We address the challenges in the process for determining statelessness and the long waiting times for applications and procedures. We want to make the country comply with the conventions that it signed, and respect our rights. Also, we would like to make other stateless people aware that we can let our voices be heard and we aim to broaden our community.
What We Advocate For
We want to make sure stateless people have the right to stay in the Netherlands and that there is an easy procedure / way of reaching residence status. Normal life, right to work, study, healthcare. Rights of stateless children, often born in the Netherlands. Better procedure.
What We Do
- Talk to politicians
- Spread information
- Organize events
- Work together with other NGO’s and organizations
- Share our stories
Useful Information
About Statelessness
What is the stateless?
Article 1(1) of the 1954 UNHCR Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons defines the term “stateless person” as “a person who is not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law.” This may mean that the person has never had a passport or been officially registered in his or her country of origin. Some stateless people may have documents such as a birth certificate or UNRWA registration, but others have no documents at all. Some people are born stateless, while others become stateless during their lifetime.
Situations where a person is stateless
- The breakup of the country in which the person lives and the formation of new states, leaving people without a recognized nationality, such as former citizens of the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia.
- The person’s country of origin is not officially recognized by the countries of the world, as is the case for the Palestinians.
- Discriminatory nationality laws, such as the Rohingya and the Bidoon, which deny you a recognized nationality.
- The country in which the person resides does not allow women to pass on their nationality to their children, as is the case in Lebanon and Somalia.
Figures
Today, at least 10 million people around the world are denied a nationality. As a result, they are often unable to go to school, get a doctor’s appointment, get a job, open a bank account, buy a home, or even get married. Stateless people may have difficulty accessing basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment, and freedom of movement. Without these, they may face many obstacles and disappointments throughout their lives.
Lives Without Borders
The Situation in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, approximately 25,000 people (CBS, 2024) are registered in the BRP as stateless or with an ‘unknown nationality. This number is probably an underestimate of the actual size, because this only concerns people known to the municipalities. In the Netherlands, in addition to the category ‘stateless’, there is also the group ‘nationality unknown’. This group consists of people who have problems proving their nationality or statelessness, for example due to the lack of identity documents or a procedure to determine statelessness. Not everyone in the ‘Nationality Unknown’ category is stateless, but they often face similar obstacles as recognized stateless people.
Roadmap for the Stateless People in the Netherlands
Have you just arrived in the Netherlands? Make sure you inform the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) and other organizations that you are stateless or think you may be. It is also important that you register correctly in the personal database (BRP) of the municipality (Gemeente) regarding your nationality. While you are in an asylum reception center (AZC), you can usually register in the personal database of the municipality six months after you have applied for asylum. If you are stateless and lack official documents, it may be difficult to register as stateless (Staatloos). In such cases, most municipalities may register an undetermined nationality (Nationaliteit Onbekend). If this happens, it is important to seek help from a lawyer or a support organization to help change your registration in the personal database to “stateless”.
Want to know more about correcting your nationality? You can find more information about it here (in English) and here (in Arabic).
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Resources
Useful Links
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Staatloosheid.nl
A comprehensive Dutch platform offering information, news, and resources about statelessness in the Netherlands. It provides updates on policy developments, legal frameworks, and advocacy efforts. -
ASKV Refugee Support – Statelessness Projects
ASKV Refugee Support runs projects aimed at supporting stateless individuals in the Netherlands. Their initiatives focus on providing legal assistance and advocating for the rights of stateless people. -
UNHCR – Stateless People
The UNHCR outlines its work to protect and support stateless individuals globally. This page highlights the organization’s efforts in the Netherlands and the broader context of its advocacy for stateless people’s rights. -
Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion
A global research and advocacy institute dedicated to addressing statelessness. The page explains the concept, causes, and impact of statelessness, providing a broader understanding of the issue. -
Government of the Netherlands – Statelessness
The official Dutch government resource on statelessness, detailing the procedures, rights, and pathways available for stateless individuals in the Netherlands. -
European Statelessness Index
A comprehensive platform providing data and analysis on how European countries address statelessness. You can explore detailed information and evaluate the Netherlands’ laws, policies, and practices regarding statelessness.
Highlights About Us
Advocating for Change in the Netherlands – Stateless Rights Collective (SRC)
A blog post highlighting the Stateless Rights Collective’s work to advocate for change in the Netherlands. The article discusses SRC’s mission to address the challenges faced by stateless individuals and promote their rights.
Stateless Rights Collective (SRC): A Step Forward
This news update from the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion highlights the formation and mission of the SRC, a group working towards legal and social recognition for stateless people in the Netherlands.
Advocating for Change in the Netherlands – Stateless Rights Collective (SRC)
ASKV highlights its collaboration with the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) to amplify the voices of stateless people in the Netherlands. This initiative led to the founding of the Stateless Rights Collective (SRC) in 2023, a self-organization of stateless individuals advocating for the right to nationality and greater inclusion.
