A/71/254 Balkans. 28 Where deportations take place without consent, minorities may face numerous obstacles to their basic human rights, including lack of access to personal documents and statelessness; problems repossessing their property or obtaining housing; difficulties accessing education, health, employment and social welfare; and separation from family members. In some cases, loss of temporary protection status in host countries and the forced repatriation to their countries of origin, coupled with the lack of adequate policies for the integration of returnees, have resulted in minority communities being forced into continuous migration. 29 5. Specific vulnerable groups (a) Stateless persons 72. Minorities are often disproportionately affected by statelessness (see A/HRC/7/23, para. 20), 30 as a result of discriminatory nationality and citizenship legislation which may deny or deprive the citizenship for some ethnic, linguistic, racial or religious groups, or because of discriminatory implementation of nationality laws on similar grounds. Minorities can also be at higher risk of statelessness as a result of lack of access to personal documentation. 73. Stateless persons are particularly vulnerable as they do not enjoy the right to nationality or any of the corresponding human and civil rights, and they may be targeted, or not adequately protected, by national authorities. In times of humanitarian crises, conflict or natural disasters, this lack of protection can be particularly acute. Statelessness can often be a root cause of forced displacement, particularly in times of crises. Forced displacement can in turn heighten the risks of becoming stateless, particularly as documents may be lost in flight. 74. In Myanmar, for example, discriminatory citizenship laws have led to the statelessness of the Rohingya, who continue to face particular obstacles in accessing humanitarian assistance, which was particularly highlighted during the outbreak of violence in 2012 (see A/HRC/32/18, paras. 19 and 26). 75. In particular, it can be especially challenging for minorities affected by crises to obtain documentation or the replacement of lost or destroyed documentation given their status as minorities and as displaced persons (see A/HRC/26/33/Add.2, para. 21). (b) Minority women and girls 76. Owing to multiple challenges face minority According to the General conflict and post-conflict and intersecting forms of discrimination, specific women and girls affected by humanitarian crises. Recommendation on women in conflict prevention, situations of the Committee for the Elimination of __________________ 28 29 30 16-13193 For example, see Human Rights Watch, “Rights displaced: forced returns of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians from Western Europe to Kosovo”, 27 October 2010, available from https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/10/27/rights-displaced/forced-returns-roma-ashkali-andegyptians-western-europe-kosovo. Angela Mattli and Stephan Müller, “Lost in transition: the forced migration circle of Roma, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians from Kosovo” (Ostermundigen, Switzerland, Society for Threatened Peoples, 2015). Available from https://assets.gfbv.ch/downloads/kosovobericht_low_ doppelseiten_online.pdf. Denial or deprivation of citizenship and statelessness affects some 15 million people in 49 countries, particularly those belonging to minority groups. 19/25