STELLA MKILIWANE DIRECTOR

25 JULY 2013

XENOPHOBIA AND REFUGEE RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

XENOPHOBIA – WHY?

WHO ARE REFUGEES/ASYLUM SEEKERS?

Men, women and children forced to flee their country…

REFUGEES and ASYLUM SEEKERS

Fear of persecution Humanitarian disasters

Conflict Torture

Traumatized

Afraid

Forced to flee: no time to pack personal belongings

No opportunity to say goodbye to loved ones

Scared

Alone

THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

Freedom of movement

Right to work Right to education

Access to Documentation

Bill of Rights Self-integration

THE NATURE OF XENOPHOBIA IN RSA Restricted movement (police harassment, file transfers, state denial of xenophobia) Employment

(resentment of skilled migrants, exploitation by

employers)

Education (discrimination in schools,

tertiary-student loans etc.)

Violence (public transport,

townships)

Documentation (Corruption @ DHA,

police, verbal abuse by officials)

Accommodation (landlords – double

deposits for foreigners)

Looting and displacements foreign owned shops/spazas,

Banks, Moneygram,etc Media

inflating numbers??

Health Care (Verbal abuse, denial of immunization)

All

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.

THE WAY FORWARD

FOR MORE INFORMATION… Visit:

www.refugeeministriescentre.org.za stellamk@refugeeministriescentre.org.za

Phone: 011 622 8771

THANK YOU!