LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - European countries must end the plight of an estimated 600,000 stateless people by giving them similar protection to refugees, campaigners said on Tuesday as they launched a day of action to highlight the predicament of the continent's "legal ghosts".
Stateless people, who are not recognised as nationals of any country, are denied basic rights that most people take for granted. They cannot work, access healthcare or even get married. They often end up destitute or in detention and are highly vulnerable to exploitation.