We
encourage readers to send us written contributions on any aspect
of contemporary forced migration. Each issue of FMR has a
feature theme but at least a third of each issue is set aside
for ‘non-theme’ articles.
Issue 32 – Deadline for submission of articles is 6th
of October to be published in January 2009 – will include a feature section on:
Statelessness
So much of our official identity depends on the fact that we
belong in a nation-state and on the recognition of rights and
duties – even if they are often ignored or denied - that this
entails. Yet ever since the early part of the 20th century, when
the idea of the nation-state became universally accepted as the
model for governance, there have been people with whom no state
acknowledges the legal bond of nationality. There have been
numerous positive developments in international law since the
adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which
established that “everyone has the right to a nationality”. Yet
today it is estimated that as many as 15 million people remain
stateless. They range from individuals to entire religious or
ethnic groups and the reasons why people are stateless range
from the accidental to deliberate persecution.
The FMR Editors are looking for practice-oriented submissions,
reflecting a diverse range of opinions, which address questions
such as the following:
- Is
statelessness a significant phenomenon in the modern world? Is
it under-recognised? And if so, why? Who are the stateless
people? How are they identified?
- What are
the experiences of living in a state but without the rights of
citizens? What are the human costs of statelessness? How does
statelessness affect human development across the lifespan? Does
statelessness have a different impact on women, men and
children?
- Given
the multiple causes for people to be stateless, is there just
one kind of statelessness? Does statelessness cause forced
migration or forced migration lead to statelessness? Is there a
link between trafficking and statelessness? Can ‘stranded
migrants’ be considered stateless? How does statelessness affect
the search for durable solutions?
- What are
the policies of relevant international institutions in relation
to stateless people? Are they changing and, if so, how and why?
What is the role of the international humanitarian community in
filling the protection gap affecting stateless people? What
strategies can be used to ensure that people who were formerly
stateless are fully integrated in society?
- What
steps do development agencies and anti-poverty campaigns employ
to ensure inclusion of stateless persons?
- What
recourse do stateless people have? What examples are there of
people collectively advocating to achieve citizenship?
-
Nationality being conferred by States, what tools does the
international community have to challenge laws and policies
which give rise to statelessness? What tools can be used to
prevent statelessness and how successfully have they been used?
- What
approaches are being taken by international institutions to
resolve specific or general situations of statelessness? What
role can birth registration and issuance of personal identity
documents play in prevention and reduction strategies?
- What
does it mean in practical terms that everyone has the right to a
nationality under Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights? Is it possible to end statelessness around the
world? What kinds of remedies are there for statelessness? What
examples are there of successful legal cases to win citizenship?
What are the legal fora where this can happen?
- Are
there any advantages to being stateless?
We are keen
to reflect the experiences and knowledge of communities and
individuals affected by statelessness.
Please email the Editors at
fmr@qeh.ox.ac.uk if you are interested in contributing or have
suggestions of colleagues who may wish to. Please consider writing
for us even if you have not written an article before. We would be
happy to work with you to develop an article about your experience.
If you are planning to write, we would be grateful if you would take
note of our Guidelines for Contributors at:
www.fmreview.org/writing.htm.
Deadline
for submission of articles: 6 October 2008.
Maximum length: 2,500 words.
FMR is
totally dependent on grant income. We need approximately £75,000 /
$151,000 / €98,000 to cover the design, translation, print and
distribution costs of this issue in English, French, Arabic and
Spanish. We would be very grateful for any advice you can give as to
which agencies you think we could approach for a partial
contribution towards these costs. |