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Blog Posts by Charlotte Ponticelli

Kuwait: Enduring a life of non-existence
June 21, 2010 Charlotte Ponticelli Kuwait, Middle East, Statelessness
Imagine that you have just given birth to a new baby in the country where you, your parents, and perhaps even your grandparents were born. But under current law, you and your baby are considered “illegal residents” of your own country, denied citizenship, and relegated to inferior status for life. In fact, your baby is not even considered worthy of a birth certificate – that is, unless you and your husband agree to be strong-armed into listing yourselves on the certificate as “non-citizens” or even into choosing an artificial nationality for the sake of your child's future.
The Wall of Women: Hearing Stories of Statelessness in Kuwait
May 18, 2010 Charlotte Ponticelli Kuwait, Statelessness

At an open-air rally in Kuwait, Refugees International’s Maureen Lynch and I were escorted to the front of the seated gathering as honored guests. We were there in the country for an eight-day visit to assess the current circumstances under which Kuwait’s approximately 90,000 stateless persons, the Bidoon, are living. We also met with government officials, private-sector experts and advocacy groups to identify concrete actions to secure the Bidoon’s right to nationality in their own country.