'You're invisible, you don't exist' - life without a birth certificate
Summary
Many people around the world live without birth certificates, making them effectively stateless. In South Africa, individuals like Arnold Ncube struggle to access basic services due to lack of documentation. Statelessness comes from issues like poor record-keeping and administrative barriers.Key Facts
- Arnold Ncube, born in Johannesburg, lacks a birth certificate and struggles to prove his citizenship.
- Without documentation, Arnold cannot access services like education and healthcare easily.
- An estimated 10,000 stateless people live in South Africa.
- Stateless individuals can't open bank accounts or apply for many jobs.
- Christy Chitengu, once stateless, got South African citizenship with legal help.
- Statelessness often arises from missing or incorrect documents at birth.
- Administrative challenges make it hard for stateless people to gain legal recognition.
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