Three brothers, aged 33, 29 and 27, lived until recently without papers and without citizenship. They have never been to school, have no stable job and two of them live in cohabitation because they could not formalize their marriage due to a lack of documents. Also for the same reason, one of the men is not even listed in his own child’s papers.
This is the sad story of three brothers: two born in Moldova and one in Ukraine. The older brothers did not have birth certificates and the youngest, although he had one, did not later apply for identity documents or citizenship of Moldova or Ukraine. The children were left to fend for themselves after their mother, who brought them up alone, underwent serious medical treatment and was left with limited legal capacity.
Throughout their lives, the three siblings have been “ghost people”, trying to survive by day-working in the village. Their situation came to the attention of a social worker, who suggested they seek help from the CDA. Mikhail Gangan, a CDA protection officer, worked for a year to resolve their legal situation and get them the necessary papers.
Recently, the brothers have acquired Moldovan citizenship and now, with their documents in order, they can rebuild their lives. No more uncertainty and living on the brink of despair! They are no longer people without identity, but citizens with rights and prospects for a better future!
According to the situation as of 30.06.2024, more than 1800 stateless persons were registered in the State Population Register, more than 1300 persons – with undetermined legal status, 252 of them holding Soviet-type passports (1974 model).
In 2025, CDA, together with UNHCR Moldova, will map undocumented persons who are at risk of becoming stateless. The purpose of the mapping is to identify these persons and provide them with personalized legal assistance to obtain the necessary documentation.
In 2024 alone, CDA legally assisted 114 people in matters related to documentation, acquiring citizenship or stateless status.
