refugees
refugees
No Probe Into Asylum-Seeker’s Death
The Department of Home Affairs says it will not be investigating the death of an unknown man at its Maitland Refugee Reception Centre.
The man, who was apparently sick when he arrived at the building, was queuing for asylum-seeker documents when he died.
People Against Suffering Oppression and Poverty’s (PASSOP) Langton Miriyoga, acknowledges that the man was sick, but says guards apparently refused to let the man to the front of the queue even after being told that he needed to go to a doctor as soon as possible. Miriyoga, himself an asylum-seeker, says service at the centre is deplorable and the queuing systems are completely inadequate.
To read the article titled, “The Home affairs not probing queue death,” click here.Source:News24International: Women, Climate Change and Migration
The dramatic changes to weather patterns as a result of climate change will have dire consequences on agriculture, the major source of food and income for Africa’s small scale farmers, the majority of whom are women.
Millions of people will be forced to migrate as they seek better living environments to sustain themselves and their families as the land becomes unproductive. Not enough is being done in national adaptation strategies to acknowledge the different gender dimensions of climate change and migration.
Take for instance the crisis in the Horn of Africa. On 20 July 2011, the United Nations declared famine in two regions of Southern Somalia. Many fled their homes to other parts of Somalia while others fled to neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya. We all saw on television the horrific images of helpless Somali mothers watching their children dying.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in 1990 that “The single greatest impact of climate change might be on migration”. The IPCC further mentioned that millions of people could be displaced by shoreline erosion, coastal flooding and agricultural disruption.
Women are disproportionally affected by climate change. Their ability to escape these challenges is limited compared to men because of their dual role as providers of income and caretakers to their families.
Migration may be temporarily caused by natural disasters, or permanent, due to irreversible damage to the environment. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), droughts and natural disasters displaced 42 million people in 2010.
It is projected that by 2050, there will be even more ‘environmental refugees’ in the world. Professor Norman Myers of Oxford University predicts that ”When global warming takes hold, there could be as many as 200 million people overtaken by disruptions of monsoon systems and severe droughts caused by rising sea levels.”
Although women and men are both likely to migrate to urban areas and experience the same difficulties in finding employment, housing and social services, women are also likely to experience gender-based discrimination.
On one hand, from a social and economic standpoint, rural women could be more empowered and given more autonomy when men go to urban areas to seek better opportunities. On the other hand, Professor Sylvia Chant of the London School of Economics notes that “Women may not be able to take major decisions over household production or livelihoods in the home village itself without first obtaining permission from their absent partners or his natal kin.”
It is distressing that there has been a failure to fully acknowledge that women are most vulnerable to sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence due to forced migration. Illegal border crossing, whether in boats or on foot, presents many safety risks to those involved, including loss of life, robbery as well as rape. Fleeing from droughts and going to stay in refugee camps also exposes women to sexual abuse.
Dr. Erick Ventura of IOM notes that a number of factors will contribute to a better understanding and handling of forced migration as a result of climate change. This includes capacity building through improved knowledge, preparedness and emergency interventions as well as assisted return for migrants. There is also a need for improvement in border management and more coherent and comprehensive migration policies that recognise that migration is not always voluntary.
Women and men fleeing natural and environmental disasters do so not because they want to, but because they are seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Awareness at policy making levels that climate change and migration are not gender neutral will go a long way in ensuring that ‘climate refugees’ are treated in a more appropriate and inclusive manner.
- Ticha Tsedu is an intern at Gender Links. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service and African Woman and Child Feature Service special series for the Sixteen Days of Activism on Gender Violence and COP17 Conference.Author(s):Gender LinksClosure of Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office
We are shocked, distressed and disappointed over the Department of Home Affairs’ abrupt and unexpected decision to permanently close the (Port Elizabeth) Refugee Reception Office at the end of November. As organisations intimately involved in the protection and support of refugees and asylum seekers, we find it completely unacceptable that all stakeholders were not consulted. We were only informed late last week that no new applications for asylum would be accepted after Friday, 21 October 2011.
There are approximately 800 Somalis and Ethiopians who have been waiting weeks, and in some case months, to have their applications registered. It is a disgrace that these already traumatised refugees and asylum seekers should be treated with such disregard. To close the office down so suddenly, and without proper notice or consultation, shows a complete lack of compassion and respect for the basic rights of our most vulnerable members of society.
Home Affairs claims that the decision was made partly because “Port Elizabeth is not located strategically to assist people who want to apply for asylum.” But many thousands of refugees from the Eastern Cape as well as the Free State, Northern Cape and southern Cape are serviced by the PE centre. New applicants and existing permit holders from all of these provinces will now be forced to travel very long distances, and at great expense, to Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria or Musina to have their permits issued or extended. It will put unbearable pressure on these already overburdened refugee reception offices who have been struggling to cope since the closure of the Johannesburg Office.
The department also claims that the PE office needs to be closed because of “on-going dissatisfaction expressed by the local business community.” But like us, the department has been fully aware for more than a year of the court action undertaken by businesses around the Sidon Road centre. They have also known for some time that their lease was due to expire, so claiming that they missed the deadline to inform the Department of Public Works is simply not an acceptable excuse.
The department urgently needs to explain how they intend letting applicants and permit holders know about which refugee reception office their file will be sent to, and what guarantees they intend putting in place to ensure that these files will not be misplaced. Also, if the files will only be sent to the other offices in the last week of November, what guarantees are there that those people whose permits expire during the first week of December, will be given an appointment at the other offices before their permit expires?
In light of all these unanswered questions, we call on the Department of Home Affairs to grant a two-week extension in order to give the PE Refugee Reception Office and other stakeholders sufficient time to deal with the large numbers of new applicants still waiting for assistance. We also ask that a temporary space be found for the centre as a matter of urgency, and clear guidelines be given as to how the files will be transferred to the other offices. We also call on the department to communicate these changes clearly with all their clients and inform them fully, and in good time, about how and when their files will be removed and transferred.
Ends
For more information contact:
Linton Harmse
Director
Refugee Rights Centre, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Tel: 041 504 1310
Mobile: 073 176 2239
Michael Bendle
Director
Project for Conflict Resolution and Development
Tel: 041 581 2414
Mobile: 083 455 7569
Dino Jilley
Somali Association of South Africa (Eastern Cape)
Mobile: 073 500 8700
David Stephens
Programme Manager
HIVOS Eastern Cape Refugee and Migrant Programme (Eastern Cape)
Tel: 041 581 2414
Mobile: 083 225 1019
Vuyo Msizi
Fieldworker
Social Change Assistance Trust
Tel: 041 581 2414
Mobile: 084 242 2012
Alexa Lane
Provincial Director
Black Sash (Eastern Cape)
Tel: 041 487 3288
Mobile: 084 572 1467
Notes to Editors
Stakeholders involved in the extension of services to refugees and asylum seekers were invited to a meeting at the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office (RRO) on 17 October 2011 to a formal briefing session surrounding the permanent closure of the RRO. This meeting was postponed while stakeholders were waiting in the reception area at the RRO at 11h00 on the 17 October 2011. No reasons were given for the postponement, except for a statement made by Baxter that he had been informed by Lusu, the acting Provincial Manager, to postpone due to a more urgent matter arising, and that the stakeholders should contact her office for further information.
Linton Harmse contacted Lusu and was informed that she would be in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday, 19 October 2011, to deal with these matters and would be in contact with the stakeholders at this time. Stakeholders were called to a meeting on Thursday, 20 October 2011, at noon at the Department of Home Affairs building in Port Elizabeth at which they were informed by Lusu that the RRO would be permanently closing on 30 November 2011, and would discontinue all registration of new applications for asylum from 21 October 2011. A formal letter dated 7 October 2011 and signed by Mkuseli Aplleni, the Director General of Home Affairs was also made available to all stakeholders present.
The stakeholders present were given an opportunity to respond and expressed their shock at the lack of communication not just with them, but with the most important group namely Asylum Seekers and Refugees, the RRO clients which clearly goes against the Batho Pele principle of 'People First'.
For more about the Project for Conflict Resolution and Development, refer to www.pcrd.org.za.
For more about the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, refer to www.nmmu.ac.za.
For more about the Social Change Assistance Trust, refer to www.scat.org.za.
For more about the Black Sash, refer to www.blacksash.org.za.
To view other NGO press releases, refer to www.ngopulse.org/group/home-page/pressreleases.Date published:24/10/2011Organisation:HIVOS Eastern Cape Refugee and Migrant Programme; Project for Conflict Resolution and Development; Somali Association of South Africa (Eastern Cape), Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Refugee Rights Centre, Social Change Assistance Trust (SCAT), Black SashThreat of Zimbabwean Deportations Criticised
The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) says that a second stampede at the Marabastad Refugee Reception has left 14 people injured.
ZEF’s Gabriel Shumba, who visited the reception centre last week following rumours that some people had died in the stampede, was quoted as saying that with the high number of people at the centre, there is no way to confirm how many people were injured.
Shumba argues that the looming threat of Zimbabwean deportations is making matters worse.
To read the article titled, “Second stampede at SA refugee reception centre,” click here.Source:All AfricaMore Zimbabwean Passports Still to be Processed
Zimbabwean Consul General, Godfrey Magwenzi, has told NGO stakeholders in Johannesburg that fewer than 10 000 passport applications out of 72 261 received by the consulate remain to be processed.
The situation is more difficult for Zimbabweans who filed a preliminary application for a residency permit without providing identification documents or who surrendered false documents.
Those who are affected must apply for new identification documents in Zimbabwe, and get a passport there before returning to South Africa, which NGO stakeholders say was unfair to those who are now living in South Africa.
To read the article titled, “Scramble for documents by Zimbabweans in South Africa facing new deadline,” click here.Source:VOA NewsNGO Criticises Conditions at Marabastad Office
Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) has described the conditions at the Marabastad office as inhumane and degrading.
ZEF chairperson, Gabriel Shumba, who says he was shocked when he visited the centre last week, points out that, “One of them had his legs rested on the table while people in the hall complained that they had been waiting for three hours for the officials to assist them.”
Shumba argues that their lack of professionalism is causing people unnecessary misery.
To read the article titled, “Refugees insulted as they queue for papers,” click here.Source:Times LiveSA to Deport Undocumented Zimbabweans
People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP) says that South Africa will begin deporting undocumented Zimbabwean immigrants on 31 July 2011 for the first time in over a year.
PASSOP says that the move will leave nearly 500 000 people in danger of being sent home to a country that is still politically and economically unstable.
PASSOP head, Braam Hanekom, has been quoted by the media as saying that while the move, called the Zimbabwean Dispensation Process, is progressive, the impending changes leave himself and other human rights activists alarmed.'
To read the article titled, “South Africa to begin deporting illegal Zimbabwean immigrants,” click here.Source:All AfricaCall for Tolerance Towards Refugees
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has called for tolerance towards refugees on World Refugee Day.
In a statement to mark the day, SAHRC points out that, "The commission continues to unequivocally call for tolerance, understanding and respect for human rights."
The commission says that it sees the day as a chance for the South African government and governments across the world to reaffirm international agreements of refugee protection, and for all sectors of society to reflect on their role and find solutions for the problems refugees faced.
To read the article titled, “SAHRC calls for tolerance on World Refugee Day,” click here.Source:Times LiveRefugees on Rise, Poor Countries Bear Brunt – UNHCR
The United Nations (UN) says that the number of people forced to flee their homes to escape war or abuse has risen to its highest for 15 years, with four out of five refugees in developing countries.
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in all, there were 43.7 million displaced people worldwide at the end of last year, up from 43.3 million a year before.
In its annual report, the organisation states that 15.4 million refugees fled across borders - 80 percent of them to nearby developing countries - and 27.5 million uprooted within their own homelands.
To read the article titled, “Refugees on rise, poor countries bear brunt – UN,” click here.Source:Times LivePlan to Establish Asylum Reception Centres
The Department of Home Affairs says plans are underway to establish asylum reception centres on the country's borders amid complaints that those close to business areas are a nuisance and irritating.
The department’s director-general, Mkuseli Apleni, states that this would also ensure that fewer foreigners entered the country.
The department was recently ordered to relocate a reception centre in Crown Mines, Johannesburg, after the business community went to court claiming the large presence of refugees rendered conditions intolerable for business.
To read the article titled, “Refugee centres along borders planned,” click here.Source:News24
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