Olena was born in Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1977. Her childhood was far from happy because of an armed conflict that took place in her native land in 1989. As a teenager, Olena was forced to flee from war to Ukraine.
In 2010, the woman received a certificate from the Georgian consulate stating that she was not a citizen of this country. In 2011, Olena received a permanent residence permit in Ukraine as a stateless person. Today, this certificate is valid and Olena legally resides in Ukraine.
Olena lived in Horlivka for several years, and in 2014 she had to to move again. The conflict forced her to move to a new city in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Olena dreams to become a citizen of Ukraine and has all the legal rights for it, as she has been living in Ukraine continuously for the last five years.
Today, it is not possible for Olena to obtain such a certificate, as all the case materials remain in uncontrolled Horlivka. To obtain a new certificate, Ms. Olena must first come to Georgia and pay the consular fee. Her identity must be confirmed by at least two Georgian citizens. In addition, the woman lost her birth certificate, and its duplicate simply does not exist. The circle is closed…
Does Olena feel happy?
Undoubtedly, the lack of a passport does not allow you to live fully and realize all your desires. But Elena has six wonderful children, which are her greatest happiness today. All of them were born on the territory of Ukraine and have birth certificates. Last year, with the help of a lawyer of the Right to Protection CF the eldest daughter already received a passport of a citizen of Ukraine
But unfortunately, Olena herself continues to live in the status of a stateless person…
In support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Global Campaign to Combat Statelessness #IBelong (#Яісную) Right to Protection CF tells stories of 5 different people who have faced the problem of statelessness in Ukraine. In fact, there are thousands of such stories across the country. And they all bring together completely different people who, under certain circumstances, live without documents. We want to address this issue and help solve it!