Over the last 13 years, Equality Now has been calling for the repeal of all sex discriminatory laws; however, despite repeated commitments by governments to do so, sex discrimination persists, including in citizenship and nationality laws. Nationality is an essential step in helping individuals access a fair and decent life and their equal rights – to education, healthcare, work, marriage choices and much more. Women and men should have equal rights to transfer their nationality to their children and their spouse, but too often the laws governing citizenship are based on – and so reinforce – stereotypical roles for women and men. This not only denies equality to women and men, it also causes unnecessary suffering, vulnerability and harm to all affected by the discrimination.

Consequences arriving from the inability, largely of women, to pass on their nationality to their children or spouse or can be very grave, including:   

• statelessness (lack of citizenship)   
• fear of deportation of children and husband
• additional vulnerability of girls to forced and early marriage
• increased vulnerability of women in abusive marriages
• difficulties for women in claiming child custody/access on marriage breakup
• lack of access to publicly-funded education for the children
• lack of access to publicly-funded medical services and national health insurance
• lack of access to social benefits
• inability to register personal property
• limited freedom of movement, including to travel abroad
• limited access to jobs and economic opportunities
• trauma and anxiety

Nationality laws are very complex, but removing any discrimination between men and women is straightforward and should be achieved through immediate legal reform.

This petition calls on the governments of the following countries to amend all discriminatory provisions in their constitutions, laws, regulations and policies that prevent women and men from passing on their nationality to their children and their spouse on an equal basis:  Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo (Republic of), Denmark, Egypt, Guatemala, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Yemen.