GENEVA (TrustLaw) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged countries to tackle a major cause of statelessness -- nationality laws that discriminate against women, saying without citizenship women are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

There are an estimated 12 million stateless people around the world, who are not considered nationals by any country. As a result, not only are they deprived of basic rights such as access to health care, they cannot vote, open a bank account or own property.

Economic progress is not the only indicator of a country's development, a nation requires its people to show courage against social pressures and overcome social evils, said President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Wednesday after meeting five teenagers from West Bengal who fought social and family pressure and resisted child marriage.