Lynch, M. (2008). Futures Denied: Statelessness among Infants, Children, and Youth. Refugee International.
Introduction
All people, adults and children alike, have the right to a nationality.1 Moreover, nationality is an essential component of contemporary life.2 But statelessness, or the lack of effective nationality, impacts the daily lives of some 11-12 million people around the world.3 Perhaps those who suffer most are stateless infants, children, and youth.
This document follows up on Amnesty International's report "Kyrgyzstan: refugees in need of a safe haven" This report updates that account, and is based on information gathered from interviews and documents obtained by an Amnesty International delegate on a visit to Kyrgyzstan from 21 - 30 July 2005. Amnesty International received disturbing reports that law enforcement authorities from Uzbekistan have continued to pursue refugees who fled Uzbekistan after 13 May on Kyrgyzstan territory, in some cases with the demonstrable co-operation of the authorities of Kyrgyzstan.
Amnesty International is deeply concerned for the safety of hundreds of refugees from Uzbekistan who fled to Kyrgyzstan after security forces reportedly fired on thousands of mainly unarmed and peaceful demonstrators in the city of Andizhan, in Uzbekistan, on 13 May 2005.
This report examines the sharp decline in Central Asia in the welfare of their youth, describing how the combination of declining living standards with a demographic bulge brings increased risks of political instability and conflict. These youth have higher rates of illiteracy, unemployment, poor health, and drug use and are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of violence. The report argues that more international involvement is needed and current trends must be reversed if the region is to avoid more serious economic and political problems.
This briefing considers regional concerns in Central Asia in the aftermath of 11 September and, in particular, the individual perspectives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and the potential impact of the current crisis on their societies. Consideration is also given to the role of Russia in the region, its take on dealing with the current terrorism challenge, its strategic stake in Central Asia and how it has responded to U.S. efforts to more closely engage the Central Asian states in a military response against Afghanistan.
This report looks at Kyrgyzstan - long perceived as a model of hope in Central Asia - as it faces a dangerous confluence of economic and political missteps, mounting social tensions and serious security concerns. Without a concerted effort by the government to return to an agenda of reform and active international engagement, the report concludes Kyrgyzstan will be another conflict waiting to happen.
This report looks at Kyrgyzstan's importance to regional security and the country's developing political crisis. The way the crisis develops depends on a number of factors, each of which can contribute to escalation or de-escalation: the political system and the struggle for power, the opposition, the role of the security forces, popular protest, and the growing geopolitical competition in Central Asia. The report also argues that the international community should become actively engaged in pushing political reform.
