In a 2007 speech United Nations secretary general António Guterres proclaimed that humanity was facing a problem that could only be described as “a corrosive, soul-destroying condition, denying people of basic human rights”. 

The problem he was referring to is statelessness, or the condition of being born without a birth certificate or passport, hence making the individual ‘stateless’. Today, according to reports from the UN’s Human Rights Committee, over 230 million people have never been registered at birth. After being born without any legal documentation, these ‘invisible infants’ live as ghosts under the law. Thus, they lack access to key freedoms only afforded to documented citizens, such as the right to access healthcare, education, or vote. Without the prospect of an education or a way to influence the political system, the stateless become trapped in cycles of poverty. 

So, What’s The Root of the Issue? 

First, it’s important to acknowledge that the majority of statelessness originates in the developing world and poorer nations. There are many geographical barriers in place preventing children from being registered at birth. Many infants are born in their households and because of limited roads, armed conflict, and epidemic outbreaks, traveling to hospitals and accessing registration forms is nearly impossible. 

But even if transport isn’t an issue, money often is. Many countries lack the hospitals and infrastructure to register babies, and even if these systems exist, they are scarce. Furthermore, the individual cost of missing work, paying hospital fees, and transporting poses a significant barrier for the economically disadvantaged.

And even in the absence of geographical, economic, or infrastructural issues, in some nations, the right to register a child is solely that of the father, meaning that single mothers have no mechanism to register their children at birth. 

Why Should We Care? 

Beyond the fact that millions of people are living without basic human rights, many nations use birth rates to respond to demographic needs. As such, countries with low birth registration rates cannot make informed decisions about policies. In times of crisis, gaps in data can mean life-costing estimations. In India during the heat of the Covid Pandemic, the government lacked sufficient data on the population, with the World Health Organization estimating that they only accounted for one in six deaths. The Indian government was unable to recognize hotspots, fund the right hospitals, and prioritize vaccine shipments. It's gaps in data like these that make countries vulnerable to crises.

The problem of statelessness mustn't continue to remain unacknowledged and invisible, like the people who are being impacted by it. Because in the end, every human being deserves to be seen and heard.