Assad Abboud
Stateless women stand at a makeshift home in a poor neighbourhood,
east of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, on July 10, 2013. Born of tribal origin
in Saudi Arabia, stateless people known as bidoons live on society's margins,
unable even to register marriages or open a bank account because they lack
identification cards. (AFP/File)
A stateless woman shows a medical report of her sick son at their
makeshift shelter in an impoverished neighborhood east of the Saudi capital
Riyadh on July 10, 2013. The bidoons have long been marginalised and are not
entitled to state-provided services and benefits.
(AFP/File)
The child of a stateless family plays outside his makeshift home in an
impoverished neighbourhood, east of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, on July 10,
2013. The stateless nomads, known as bidoons, were originally traveling
between Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan. (AFP/File)
A stateless man speaks during an interview with AFP at an office east
of Saudi capital of Riyadh on July 9, 2013. Born of tribal origin in Saudi
Arabia, stateless people known as bidoons live on society's margins, unable
even to register marriages or open a bank account because they lack
identification cards. (AFP/File)
RIYADH
(AFP) – Born of
tribal origin in Saudi Arabia, stateless people known as bidoons live on
society's margins, unable even to register marriages or open a bank account
because they lack identification cards.
"Our life
is frozen, suspended. We don't have access to services or medical care,"
complained Abu Ibrahim, 50, as he sat on a floor covered with a modest carpet,
an old air conditioner humming in the background.
"There is
discrimination in this country," he said, pointing to the privileges available
to Saudi citizens that the bidoons cannot enjoy.
Traditionally, the nomadic tribes roamed the Arabian desert, but when
Arab states were formed in the last century, newly established borders limited
them to their respective countries.
Many were
not accorded the nationalities of the new states, apparently for failing to
register.
The problem
of the stateless is "chronic," said Saudi rights activist Walid Abulkheir.
"They live in miserable conditions, and life is very difficult for
them."
He said
that many of the nomadic tribesmen "made a mistake by not registering with
authorities, due to being on the move."
But he said
that the stateless also include naturalised Yemenis who were stripped of their
Saudi passports after Sanaa backed Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in
1990.
A stateless
fruit seller of Yemeni origin died in May after setting himself alight in
protest at the seizure of his stock by officials for selling without a permit
in Riyadh.
Authorities
in oil-rich Saudi Arabia decided 13 years ago to grant citizenship to members
of the stateless tribes, but some 70,000 people remain stateless, according to
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Many even
lack the so-called black card which gives them a social security number that
provides access to services.
"My
children have graduated from university, but they are unemployed, and my
daughters will not be able to get married legally because they don't have that
number," said Abdullah, 60, who declined to give his full
name.
A
government commission held a census in the late 1970s of tribal groups who
were still stateless. Those counted were given the black card that they have
to renew in Hafr el-Batin, in the northeast, every five
years.
"Anyone
forgetting to renew the card faces a lot of problems," said legal consultant
Ahmed al-Anzi.
He said the
use of technology in government has worsened things for the bidoons, because a
person without the computer-generated number "does not officially
exist."
A bidoon is
like "someone living in a glass box: he sees the world moving around him but
he can't do anything," Anzi said, describing the crippling constraints imposed
on them.
Even for
those stateless who do have the special card, life remains a struggle,
according to Nasser al-Shammari.
"It's not
easy for those people to get a passport to travel for treatment or study.
Sometimes they get a travel document that can be used only once, and it does
not entitle them to travel to neighbouring Gulf countries," he
complained.
Cardholders
are also not allowed to own property or more than one
car.
Renewing
the black card takes months, Shammari said, pointing out that during this
process, holders lose access to their own bank accounts and are even banned
from driving.
"This means
your life goes on hold," he said.
The issue
of stateless people is not exclusive to Saudi Arabia: other Gulf states have
similar situations.
Kuwait, for
example, has more than 106,000 bidoons.
Born and
raised in the emirate, they demand Kuwaiti citizenship, but the government
says that only 34,000 of them qualify, and that the rest hold other
nationalities.
Kuwait's
parliament in March passed a bill granting citizenship to 4,000 foreigners,
but without specifying whether the beneficiaries would be bidoons or
not.
There are
also an estimated 10,000 stateless people in the United Arab
Emirates.
No comments:
Post a Comment