Belonging Nowhere

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Imagine not being able to attend school, see a doctor or even open a bank account? This can be the life for stateless people, and there are more than 4 million people across the globe who experience it. Living with a disputed nationality can impact lives in all kinds of unseen ways, and has been described by some as an overlooked human rights issue. In this four-part SBS News podcast we ask what it’s like to experience statelessness, how it occurs, and what society can do about it.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Belonging Nowhere: Fadi was born in Lebanon - but technically, he didn't exist

    Belonging nowhere is a reality for millions of people around the world: it's known as statelessness. Described by some as an overlooked human rights issue, this first episode delves into the history of statelessness and who stateless people are.

    12 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Belonging Nowhere: How hard is it to feel like you belong in Australia?

    Many stateless people are displaced around the world, attempting to find somewhere they can call home. Their journeys can often take a heavy toll, as they deal with traumatic experiences, or need to hid their true identities as a persecuted minority. In this second episode of 'Belonging Nowhere' we’ll hear some of the many stories of how people from different stateless backgrounds come to Australia – and the difficulties they’ve faced trying to make a home.

    15 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Belonging Nowhere: When statelessness happens because there is no state

    For a year and a half, Israel has been bombarding the densely populated Gaza Strip in response to attacks staged by Hamas on October 7th, 2023. It was a rapid escalation of an old, old conflict and many people understand that it has created millions of displaced people and refugees. Not many people understand that many of those are also stateless. This third episode of Belonging Nowhere looks into it.

    10 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Belonging nowhere: Stateless in Australia

    While statelessness affects millions of people around the world, Australia also has stateless people.The United Nations refugee agency says there are around 8,000 stateless people in Australia, but experts say there could be more. The UNHCR is calling on the Australian government to create a stateless determination procedure (SDP), which would contribute to efforts to assess the size and the situation of stateless population amongst migrant populations.The fourth episode of Belonging Nowhere looks at Australia and how it deals with statelessness.

    14 min
See All Season 1 (4)

Trailer

About

Imagine not being able to attend school, see a doctor or even open a bank account? This can be the life for stateless people, and there are more than 4 million people across the globe who experience it. Living with a disputed nationality can impact lives in all kinds of unseen ways, and has been described by some as an overlooked human rights issue. In this four-part SBS News podcast we ask what it’s like to experience statelessness, how it occurs, and what society can do about it.

Information

  • Channel
    SBS News
  • Creator
    SBS
  • Episodes
    9
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025, Special Broadcasting Services
  • Show Website
    Belonging Nowhere

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