THE STATE OF STATELESS IN BRAZIL: FIGHTING STATELESSNESS BY INVOKING HUMAN RIGHTS
Palavras-chave:
Stateless, Human Rights, Nationality, Brazil, Children’s Rights, Statelessness Conventions, Right to Non-Discrimination, Migration LawResumo
“You do not exist.” For millions worldwide, statelessness is not just a legal classification, it is a lived reality of exclusion, rightlessness, and invisibility. This article investigates how Brazil confronts this condition within its borders and through its legal framework, assessing the country’s compliance with international obligations under the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. It explores how Brazil invokes broader human rights, particularly the rights of children and the right to non-discrimination, as tools to secure legal belonging and dignity. Grounded in doctrinal legal analysis and illustrated by emblematic cases such as the “Brasileirinhos Apátridas” and Maha Mamo the study evaluates Brazil’s domestic reforms and situates its efforts within the regional context of the Americas. Is Brazil leading by example, or lagging behind in data and implementation? Combining legal critique with the perspective of personal lived experience, this article argues that effective responses to statelessness must fuse normative commitment with political will and inclusive legal design.
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