THE PLIGHT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES IN SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa has been hosting millions of refugees and asylum seekers from across Africa and Asia. The state has taken steps in giving protection to these vulnerable sections of society. One of the important steps it has taken is the explicit and implicit inclusion of refugee and asylum seekers’ rights in the Constitution. The Refugee Act (1998) and Constitutional Court decisions also give human rights protection to refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa.
South Africa attracts economic migrants because it is the second biggest economy of Africa and it is considered to offer better economic opportunities for economic migrants. The country is also rated as one of the best few countries
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It is, however, aimed at showing the vulnerable situation of some section of refugees and asylum seekers who find it difficult to find jobs, and as a result to rent houses.
It is equally aimed at showing to the government and stakeholders that refugees and asylum seekers who can afford renting houses are in many cases denied of doing so. Housing agencies discriminate against these vulnerable groups based on their nationality status. This happens regardless of the fact that a person is a recognised refugee who has adequate means to pay for housing. The question remains, why are refugees and asylum seekers who are allowed to stay in the country refused to get housing even when they have adequate means to pay for the housing?
The denial to rent houses in their own names has many repercussions in the exercise of other rights. For example, proof of residence is a precondition to open bank accounts so that refugees and asylum seekers, who are denied of renting houses in their own names, cannot fulfil this requirement. Even more, most banks refuse to open bank accounts to refugees and asylum seekers. Refugees who work and earn money are left with no option than keeping money with them instead of saving in banks. This makes them more prone to burglary, theft and physical
Throughout the documentary “Well Founded Fear” by Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini asylum seekers told their story about the reason they should be one out of every two hundred to be granted asylum in the United States. The search for asylum is one that is sometimes disheartening, uncertain, and unpredictable. As humans come to the United States in search of asylum, asylum officers are tasked with deciding the fate of asylum seekers. There are problems with the process of being granted asylum so it is necessary that some solutions are developed.
For major social issues like racism and homelessness they are very hard to solve. Many times they are just being managed and not solved. Sometimes it’s easier to just manage an issue and keep pushing it away for a later time, until it starts being a big problem and costing society a lot of money. Like racism they try to manage it by having separate but equal, but it is still racist. Martin Luther King Jr fought for civil rights for many year, he used peaceful protest for his cause.
People who flee from countries which are oppressing them, escaping for their lives. Australia’s inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and the mandatory detention policy means that asylum seekers are locked in a detention centre until they are processed, which can take years. In recent events, Australia’s asylum seeker policies have been heavily criticised
Ha is an example of the universal refugee experience because she goes through things that many other refugees go through, such as the feeling of being “inside out” and not belonging anywhere. Ha has to learn a new language and a whole new way of life, she has to give up many of her old traditions and ways of life like many refugees do. A universal refugee experience is something that is experienced by not all, but most refugees. Ha started out stubborn and forceful before they fled their home, "I decided to wake before dawn and tap my big toe on the tile floor first," (Lai 2). Ha is angry that only men 's feet bring good luck and she will not let that be the case for she wants to bring luck to her family.
Introduction Australia is said to be a multicultural and multiracial country. So why can’t we, as a country and as a nation, say yes to immigrants fleeing from a different country? As immigration to Australia is supposably apart of our history and it would be wrong not to continue on with the actions of our ancestors. Paragraph 1 As of 2014 – 2015, Australia accepted 13,750 refugees in total. Paragraph 2 • What are refugees and asylum seekers?
The lack of having or finding a home is a enormous setback in getting that “American Dream” that is so talked about and for the oppressed it just makes it harder to achieve that mesmeric
This analysis looks at refugees and the social justice issue of Australia’s discriminatory treatment of refugees traveling to Australia seeking asylum. Australia’s current treatment of Asylum seekers includes taking them from an already extremely stressful environment and detaining them in remote detention facilities where they have limited interaction with family and friends. In some instances, this includes children and young people. The University western Sydney (2016)
In Australia, refugees and asylum seekers are treated like the enemy in a war: the target of a highly resourced, military-led “deterrence” strategy complete with arbitrary detainment, detention camps, guards to terrorise them, forced deportations and the violent suppression of those who protest. Australia is failing to meet the standards required when regarding the treatment of asylum seekers. It is fact that asylum seekers make up less than 3% of Australia’s annual immigration yet the idea is being distorted to that of which they will overpopulate a country that prides itself on being a multicultural society. I want to shed light on the misconception that asylum seekers are not ‘legal’ when in actual fact it is a human right to seek freedom.
To. Mrs. Hopkins, Recently, I have read your controversial and callous article ‘If Britain is prepared to provide an all-inclusive resort service for asylum seekers, the least they can do is wear a bloody wristband.’ From a student with a family member who has experienced being a refugee, I know that the issues regarding asylum seekers and refugees are critical in the modern society. Therefore, I feel that your article, mostly oversimplified and prejudiced, could mislead lots of readers to have undesirable views on those people who are in need.
Somali Refugees In American Since about the late 1900’s Somali Refugees have been coming to the United States in hope for a better lifestyle than they had at home with famine and war. Somali refugees are brought to the U.S. by different organizations that support families from other countries that have had a hard life styles and isn’t easy living in their home country. They arrive in the U.S. being new to the country and not having much understanding of the daily living and also feeling unsettled.
The more powerless and vulnerable the individual, the more significant their ethical claim. Since each person, paying little respect to one's lawful status or geographic area, has a transcendent dignity that must dependably be regarded, individuals progressing ought to appreciate the full scope of human rights, and others have an obligation to see that they are regarded, secured and satisfied. "Refugees and asylum seekers are humans, and should enjoy the whole range of human rights. Unless there are compelling reasons to believe that refugees or asylum seekers represent a serious danger to the common good, they should not be interned. Furthermore they should have access to work and thus the opportunity to fulfil their duty to contribute to the common good” (Australians Human Rights Commission, 2014).
Growing up at a refugee camp in a very poor country is not what an average child has to go through. In Nepal we did not have much shelter to live by. We were given some bamboos, thatch and some rope to build up our home and once a month they would give us some rice. I grew up without electricity therefore television was very rare to me. I was born at the house made up of bamboo and thatch rather than a proper hospital with some form of professional care.
Leaders and governments around the world have labelled refugees as being a burden on their country either directly or indirectly. These leaders only see them as people who are trying to get into their country to escape the civil war, but fail to see that the refugees are also risking their lives in the process. At present, there are approximately 54.5 million refugees that are displaced, the largest refugee crisis the world has ever seen and they have nowhere to go. The question of doing the right thing and taking them in has been squashed due to various reasons and it appears to be that each country has adopted the ‘each man for himself’ policy by stating that it is their duty to only look after its citizens and no one else.
A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their home country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. There are many different types of refugees, these include refugees who are escaping war, social discrimination, racial discrimination, religious persecution, those who are seeking aid after a natural disaster, political unrest, and those who fear for their lives and the lives of their family. These people are given refugee status and are placed in designated refugee camps across the country where they are supposed to be cared for and educated, but this is not happening. Many of the countries only provide shelter for the refugees but do not provide the rest of the basic needs. There are many factors that contribute to a person becoming a refugee these include war, famine, racial prejudice, religion, harassment or torture due to political views, nationality, and natural disaster.
Apartheid The unbelievable crimes that have occurred in South Africa are horrific. The fight for freedom and democracy has cost many innocent lives and harm to almost all black South Africans. Apartheid was the policy of segregation or discrimination or ground of race. Even though the fight has come a long way it is not over yet. It all started in 1948, when the government of South Africa introduced new laws putting a fine line between black and white.