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Stories & Experiences

Learn from individual experiences shared by other community members that might help you in your situation. Or help others by sharing your own experiences

  • 38 Posts
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38 Posts
Statefree
Statefree Team
StatefreeStatefree Team
published in Stories & Experiences
Neither Afghan, Nor Iranian.COMMUNITY VOICES

Part I Floating MindIt is the last day of summer, somewhere in the dusty outskirts of Tehran, around the year 2000. A group of children plays soccer in the narrow alleys, their laughter bouncing off the worn walls. Scenes like these, you might have seen in movies—children at ease, at play, untethered for the last time before tomorrow brings the weight of school. Tomorrow: a word that rings strange in my head even now, as I write. The first day of school looms, and I remember that particular day. Boys boast of their new stationery, pencils and erasers, and pens bought by loving parents. Ali, my friend, shows off his erasable pen—what a marvel! The sun sets, and I rush home, my mind only on one thing:"Mother, why didn’t you buy me new clothes or bags?” I ask, breathless with the urgency of a child.“You don’t need one,” she replies calmly, turning away.“But I do! Tomorrow is the first day of school, and everyone has new clothes,” I insist, the words tumbling out in anger and need.“You are

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Statefree
Statefree Team
Statefree
Statefree Team
StatefreeStatefree Team
published in Stories & Experiences
The Thing With Hope | A Story by Donel Tschibagucommunity voices

My name is Donel Tshibangu and I am currently stateless. My journey basically started back in 2018 when I turned 16, I was so excited to apply for citizenship, I felt like my world was about to start, my life shifting into a whole new direction. As my dad and I walked into the Department of home Affairs South Africa, that’s where every dream and hope of mine shattered, it was as if my life was over before it even began, all my dreams and hope fell down the drain.The officials of home affairs told me that I couldn’t apply for an ID and that I had to apply for what my parents had, which was an asylum seeker paper. That actually broke me. Both my parents are very educated people with qualifications but because of their type of document they couldn’t pursue their careers. Instead they worked for minimum wage jobs, just to survive.That then broke me. If my parents lived that kind of life with that kind of document there was obviously no hope for me either to dream big. I felt rejected by my

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Statefree
Statefree Team
Statefree
Statefree Team
StatefreeStatefree Team
published in Stories & Experiences
Imagine | تخيل - A Story by Sam Marchcommunity voices

 - written by Sam March. Find the Arabic translation belowI have been typing and deleting for hours now, trying to find the right approach to tell my story. And while it’s never easy to do so, I guess I just need to let it flow. I was born to a poor family. My mother is Lebanese but my father is stateless and also my grandfather.  Statelessness runs in the family like a disease, destroying one life after the other. If I can sum up my life with this illness in a word it would be “FEAR”. I spent the last twenty years afraid. I was scared to be sent home from school because I don’t have the right papers. I was terrified of people finding out that I am stateless. Everywhere I go, I always had to be aware and have an eye over my shoulder. I felt like a fugitive on the run but the difference is that I did no crime. I remember when I was in ninth grade and in Lebanon, the students had to go through official exams that the government organized. I was the best student, but when my application w

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Statefree
Statefree Team
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MrVanfordCompanion
posted in Stories & Experiences
My Journey as a Stateless Person: Overcoming Challenges and Seeking Hope

Hello to everyone reading this post. Let me tell you a story about myself. I was born in Poland, a beautiful country where people like me aren't given much attention. Like most people in this website, I am stateless. My mother came here over 30 years ago, entering legally for work. She got involved with a man who, to put it mildly, wasn’t the best choice for a father. In short, she didn’t list him as a potential father and instead wrote down her ex-husband. She says she feared potential issues with returning to the country with me. Despite this, they were together. He adopted me. Unfortunately, he passed away before completing all the formalities. He had plenty of time to do it, but as you might guess, alcohol was a problem. They were barely making ends meet, with only my mother working. They were together for over 16 years. In this magical way, I fell into a legislative loop. Today, I am 29 years old and have managed to reach this age without any criminal proceedings. In Poland, there

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Victoria
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AnnaCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Looking for interview partners: study on statelessness in Germany due to Palestinian origin

Dear Statefree-Community, we are four Master's students at the University of Hamburg, majoring in Criminology and Sociology. As part of a research project with the working title: “Experiences of Statelessness Among Palestinians in Germany,” we are investigating the experiences of individuals of Palestinian origin living in Germany regarding statelessness.With our study we hope to contribute to a scientific topic that is still significantly underrepresented in society as well as in academia and, in our opinion, deserves more attention.For our study, we are looking for interview partners who live in Germany and are affected by statelessness due to their Palestinian origin.  Who we are looking forWe are interested in perspectives from people who are officially considered 'stateless' (XXA) as well as from people whose nationality is regarded as 'unresolved' (XXX) by the German authorities.If you are living in Hamburg or Berlin we conduct face-to-face interviews.  If you are living further

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ConcernedAfricanCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
A Cry for Human Dignity: The Plight of the Undocumented and Their Children

 Let me start with a quote, "Human rights should supersede sovereignty in matters fundamental to human existence"The international community has made significant strides in recognizing and protecting human rights. However, the gap between these enshrined principles and their practical implementation remains alarmingly wide. This document seeks to highlight the plight of a particularly vulnerable group: undocumented migrants and their children, whose fundamental rights are often disregarded.    The experience of countless individuals across the globe mirrors a distressing pattern. Many have sought better opportunities in foreign lands, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of exploitation and uncertainty. The process of regularizing their status is often fraught with bureaucratic hurdles, exorbitant costs, and arbitrary decisions. Failure to navigate this complex system can result in severe consequences, including economic hardship, social ostracism, and separation from loved ones.

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Victoria
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Ronja mit PCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Looking for Interviewpartners

Dear Readers of the Statefree Community,My name is Ronja Pröllochs, I am studying Social Work and Language, History and Cultures of the Middle East and I am currently writing / working on my bachelor thesis on the topic of statelessness, since I worked to citizenship before and then stumbled upon this as I would say human rights problem. Since I would ideally be working on filmography, I wanted to ask if there are people without citizenship in the community who could imagine being interviewed and (potentially) filmed, if not though that would also be more than okay. I would be happy to hear from you either way. In the interviews, I would like to ask questions about the circumstances and feelings of people who are de facto or de jure stateless in order to create empathy and a greater awareness of the issue.I will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.I would be delighted to hear from youYours sincerelyRonja Pröllochs

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FreeBandz VictorCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Stateless from Hamburg or near Hamburg

Hello,I am a journalist from the state broadcaster ARD and I am looking for a person who is stateless and lives in Hamburg or the surrounding area for a report.The reason is the new naturalization law in Germany, which does not take stateless people into account.Please get in touch with me here, by e-mail (v.efevberha@ndr.de) or call me at 015901952150  Hallo,ich bin Journalist vom öffentlich-rechtlichen Sender ARD und suche für einen Beitrag eine Person die staatenlos ist und in Hamburg oder Umgebung wohnt. Der Anlass ist das neue Einbürgerungsgesetz in Deutschland, dass staatenlose nicht berücksichtigt.Meldet euch gerne hier bei mir zurück, per E-Mail (v.efevberha@ndr.de) oder ruft an 015901952150  Best RegardsVictor Efevberha

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kamala poudel
kamala poudelCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
kamala

Please could you guide me to any international platform where my voice may be heard? Is the international court of justice a good choice? But then I do not have financial resources to file a case at the international court of justice. I am working at a NGO, non-profit for the persons with the mental health issues. I myself am a person with the lived experience of the mental health issues. I have non-affective psychosis.I am Nepalese but I have no  legal documentary proof thereof as I was separated from my biological family when I was about 5 years of age and I do not remember them at all. if I was in touch with them I could have had a connecting link to Nepal through my mother/father . My plea is though I do not have any proof of my connection to Nepal, I am a human being and I am alive I mean I exist -so somewhere somebody would be a duty bearer to register me and my presence!!!!I mean how can I stay stateless? and for how long???right now I am about 40 years of age and all these 40 y

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Victoria
kamala poudel
kamala poudelCompanion
posted in Stories & Experiences
MISS

I applied for asylum to the French embassy as mentioned above but no reply came.I am distraught and have no idea why I did not reply to other countries.  Please read my story at https://www.koshishnepal.org/campaigns/the-braveheart/ Even a small country like Nepal denied political asylum.  The United Nations refugee commissioner office denied me the title of refugee. They say I might be stateless but I am not a refugee. kamala poudel kamala.poudel@koshish.org.np+9779843204399

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kamala poudel
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JassimCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
stateless person bharian

As a Stateless person I feel like there is nothing I can't do Because Everyone who I approach they just Turn around and leave I feel that my life is getting hard and It's like I have no voice in me Because everyone Always Giving me a hard time Just because they know I am a Stateless person Like they can say anything to me There are sometimes that My throat feels so heavy I feel like I just want to Burst out and A man tier has no Value It's like I feel like I am cockroach   Not a human

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Victoria
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JassimCompanion
posted in Stories & Experiences
stateless person bharian

As a Stateless person I feel like there is nothing I can't do Because Everyone who I approach they just Turn around and leave I feel that my life is getting hard and It's like I have no voice in me Because everyone Always Giving me a hard time Just because they know I am a Stateless person Like they can say anything to me There are sometimes that My throat feels so heavy I feel like I just want to Burst out and A man tier has no Value It's like I feel like I am cockroach   Not a human

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MarejkeCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Portrait

Hey everyone!I am Marejke. I am a student of journalism at the Akademie für Publizistik in Hamburg. I would like to draw more attention to the important issue of statelessness in Germany and would therefore like to write a short portrait of a stateless person. Hence the question of whether someone affected would be willing to talk to me about it? And would it be possible for me to accompany the person in everyday life (for example when visiting the doctor/office or similar)?Many thanks in advance!Best regards,Marejke 

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MarkchiCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Statelessness in America

Hello,I was born in the Netherlands, I left when I was two years-old to America, I didn't realize I was stateless until I was in my early 20s. I'm 36 now. I've tried reaching out for help from the Dutch embassy received no help from them. I've tried to get help from immigration lawyers but they were clueless about statelessness and just wasted my time and alot of money for nothing. I've also reached out to UNHCR and they have told me they are working on ending statelessness but it's been years and it looks like there will never be any  progress. I was part of the first stateless grassroots organization in America called United Stateless, They have accomplished some great things and helped raise awareness on statelessness in America. But, I  haven't spoken to them in a long time. I think working together with other stateless organizations would be a great benefit for both. It's going to take alot of work to end statelessness.  For me, It's just been extremely difficult. There is no real

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Victoria
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ORFmarkovicsCompanion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Interviewpartner*in für Artikel gesucht

Liebe Community, ich arbeite als Journalistin für den ORF Österreichischen Rundfunk in Wien. Für die Online-Nachrichtenplattformen ORF.at und ORF Topos schreibe ich einen Artikel über die Situation von staatenlosen Menschen in Österreich. Dazu möchte ich ein gefilmtes Interview mit einer betroffenen Person führen, die über ihre Erfahrungen spricht. Kurz zum Ablauf: Idealerweise führen wir das Interview über Zoom und die Person nimmt sich selbst währenddessen mit dem Handy auf und schickt mir das Video danach zu, der Beitrag wird dann in den Artikel eingefügt.  Das Interview müssten wir bis zum 26.1 führen, Dauer maximal 30 Minuten. Bei Interesse bitte so schnell wie möglich mir schreiben leonie.markovics@orf.at, ich melde mich dann bei euch mit genaueren Infos. Danke & liebe Grüße,Leonie M.

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tahae19
tahae19Companion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Refugee in Tuekey

My name is Taha Ezam. I studied chemical engineering in Iran, but because of the problems that existed for the Baha'is, I had to leave Iran with my mother without anything.As of 2015, my mother and I are religious refugees awaiting resettlement .During the long resettlement process, refugees face many challenges to live in Turkey, such as finding a good job, education, citizenship rights, etc.

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Statefree Team
Victoria
VictoriaActive Contributor
posted in Stories & Experiences
New team member

Hello, my name is Victoria and I am a new team member of the Statefree team, working as an Office Manager and supporting the community. I am very happy about this and I am very excited about the work.😊.

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Victoria
Prince
PrinceHelpful Companion
published in Stories & Experiences
My Stateless LifeCommunity Voices

 Dear Diary, it's me, Prince Lenny Penaloza...  Today, just like every other day, the struggles continue as a stateless person and there's just one sentence to summarise it all, "a visibly horrific, inhumane existence" boosted by several laws and policies in place by the system that deprives me of basic human rights, hence making life literally a living hell. In other words, only who feels it knows it, because the descriptions of existing in such a situation as a stateless person in today's modern world are heart-wrenching.  Even in a world where the various levels of systematic breakdowns and further sub-breakdowns of human classifications amongst "the haves and have-nots" are clearly visible – which in itself is a sad reality – being stateless goes further down the inhumane system ladder because it's an existence without existing when you don’t matter or count in regards to having and exercising the basic human rights just like everyone else.  Yes, the world, as we know it, revolves

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Charlotte
Statefree Team
Prince
PrinceHelpful Companion
published in Stories & Experiences
Mental Health & StatelessnessCommunity Voices

 Deutsche Version untenMental health issues within stateless people is a problem that's often overlooked in general because of some clear and unclear reasons.Some of the reasons could be, a stateless person not having access to basic health insurance/care, not having the financial capability or support of buying/paying for prescribed medications needed, the systematic policy pressures of a state (nation) that makes the daily life of a stateless person feel like a non existing being within that same state, like listening to a broken record on repeat. The absence of inclusiveness, the denial of their existence and basic rights as humans, the pain of constant rejection by branches of a state, and to some extent in the social space, can easily lead to a dangerous breaking point that affects emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually, at which an unhealthy decline mind is birthed.Mental health shouldn't be kept under the radar because it actually plays a huge role on all individuals

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Prince
Frances Timberlake
Frances TimberlakeRising Companion
posted in Stories & Experiences
New podcast episode on statelessness in the UK

ENS has recently done a collab with Refugee Action’s ‘Experts by Experience’ podcast in the UK, and some fantastic community members spoke about the experience of statelessness and the intersection between stateless and the asylum system, in the UK. Please give it a listen!Twitter: https://twitter.com/ENStatelessness/status/1686026071659982849?s=20Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CvZQXVhs7B4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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Frances Timberlake
Nosu
NosuCompanion
posted in Stories & Experiences
You are invited: Making statelessness visible - A photovoice project !

 

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Nosu
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REALA.Companion
asked in Stories & Experiences
Citizens' Office does not want to recognize my statelessness

hello guys, first of all I would like to thank you guys for publishing such a great site. I have been recognized as a stateless person for almost 2 years. Before that, I was registered as an Unresolved Citizen with the authorities. Now to my problem, I wanted to apply for a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) at the German citizens' office, since the registration certificate contains the citizenship, I asked the employee to change this from uncleared to stateless and then presented my travel document for stateless persons. Since the employee was not familiar with this, he asked a supervisor. She didn't want to change it, as other documents have to be presented to prove this. It didn't make any sense to me at all. When asked what documents I have to present, she got angry and expelled me from the building. Is it normal to be treated as if you were a second class person just because you are stateless? With the German naturalization one can prove one's statelessness with the tra

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Lynn
LynnRising Companion
published in Stories & Experiences
Between Anger & Bitterness: About getting my status recognised and being the “Lagom Swede”Community Voices

It took me a while to process the end of an eight year fight with the Swedish asylum agency and getting a paper that one day might put an end to my statelessness.Before I share my story with you, I would like to start with Kehlani’s words: “My condolences to anyone who has ever lost meAnd to anyone who got lost in me or to anyoneWho ever felt they took a loss with meMy apologiesFor the misunderstandingOr the lack thereof” I was 22 when I arrived in Sweden. I am 30 now. It took me eight years to get my refugee status recognized. I would love to tell everyone who congratulated me that I am not a fearless, courageous, selfless warrior. I am not a queen of resilience. The truth is I am a rootless tree in exile: I inherited a stateless refugee status in 1992 and have been jumping from one status to another since then, expressing myself in any language but my own! The 26th of April 2022 was a normal day. I was working from home and had a meeting at 15:00. A few minutes into the meeting, I lo

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Judith
Statefree
Statefree Team
StatefreeStatefree Team
published in Stories & Experiences
New on The Statefree Pod: Lynn and Karmel share their thoughts on identity, belonging and statelessnessCommunity Voices

A new episode of The Statefree Pod is out! This time, Lynn & Karmel share their thoughts on identity, belonging and statelessness 👉 Listen to it on Spotify or Google Podcast.Lynn and Karmel have a lot in common: both were born stateless in Damascus and attended the same school. Both belong to the third generation of Palestinian Syrians and both live in Europe now. And yet, their views on identity and statelessness are very different. Listen to this episode to learn why living in a bubble can have advantages, how statelessness has saved Lynn’s life and how the experience of statelessness has made them the people they are today.Find the episode here on Spotify or Google Podcast.______________________Music by Blin The project ‘The Statefree Pod’ was funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

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Statefree
Statefree Team
Statefree
Statefree Team
StatefreeStatefree Team
published in Stories & Experiences
Gazmen and his wish for the children of the future: Listen to our latest podcast episode in Italian & SpanishCommunity voices

Do you speak Italian and understand Spanish? Then the new episode on The Statefree Pod is for you:  👉 Listen here on  Spotify or Google Podcast In this bilingual episode, Gazmen talks about his experience of statelessness and the administrative and family reasons that resulted in statelessness. A conflict between nationality laws (jus solis and jus sanguinis) keeps him in statelessness. Having lived many years in Italy, he only managed to get his statelessness recognized in Italy after 12 years. Now in Germany, his situation is still uncertain, even though he was born there. Informed by this struggle and the discrimination he experiences as Roma, Gazmen’s greatest wish for the future is clear: that no child in this world should grow up stateless anymore. Find it here on Spotify & on Google Podcast  Apolide e cittadino del mondo: Il mio desiderio per i bambini del futuroParlate italiano? Allora avete trovato l'episodio perfetto di questo podcast sull'apolidia. Gazmen parla della su

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Statefree
Statefree Team
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