More than 60 countries deny women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality – a new global campaign aims to change that.

By Dimina Petrova. Published April 29, 2015 by openDemocracy.

The annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, held in New York last March, marked 20 years of the Beijing Declaration – where states committed to ensure equality between men and women.

The session saw UN member states, civil society and the wider gender equality community join together to celebrate progress and outline challenges faced in advancing global gender equality.

One set of practices that need attention are discriminatory nationality laws that continue to affect the lives of millions of women and their families. Today, 27 countries continue to discriminate against women by denying them the right to pass their nationality to their children. In total, more than 60 countries deny women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. Continue reading →