scholarly journals Migration, Refugees, and Racism in South Africa

Refuge ◽  
2001 ◽  
pp. 40-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Handmaker ◽  
Jennifer Parsley

The paper looks at South Africa’s complex history and policies of racism, social separation and control and the impact that this has had on the nature of migration and refugee policy. The paper argues that this legacy has resulted in policy and implementation that is highly racialized, coupled with a society expressing growing levels of xenophobia. Some causes and manifestations of xenophobia in South Africa are explored. It further examines how actions of police and civil servants can mirror the sentiments of the general public, further disadvantaging refugees and migrants. The outcomes of the WCAR are discussed with acknowledgment of the positive gains made for refugees and asylum seekers. The implications for implementation are debated in light of the attacks on the USA. In conclusion, a number of recommendations are made including the need for ongoing public awareness strategies, the value of the WCAR Declarations as lobbying tools, a pragmatic and democratic policy process and the need to highlight development concerns in approaches to address these issues.

Sexualities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 86-110
Author(s):  
John Marnell ◽  
Elsa Oliveira ◽  
Gabriel Hoosain Khan

This article presents findings from three arts-based studies conducted by the African Centre for Migration and Society, in partnerships with Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action and the Sisonke National Sex Worker Movement. Drawing on participant-created visual and narrative artefacts, the article offers insights into the complex ways in which queer migrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in South Africa negotiate their identities, resist oppression and confront stereotypes. It reveals the dynamic ways in which queer migrants, refugees and asylum seekers forge a sense of belonging in spite of concurrent vulnerabilities and structural discrimination. It also reflects on the benefits and limitations of using participatory arts-based research with marginalised groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Mustapha Lhous ◽  
Omar Zakary ◽  
Mostafa Rachik

The main objective of this paper is to develop a new mathematical model to study, analyze, and control the family status in several regions and to discuss the impact of the connectivity of regions and the mobility of residents on the marital status of the family, by adopting a multiregion discrete-time model. The modelling and the control process of the system that describes the case of monogamous marriages in a multiregion framework are considered. Two combined control strategies are proposed, which allow reducing the virgin and divorced individuals and increasing the number of married individuals in a specific region. The first control is considered as the impact of public awareness campaigns to educate virgin men and women about the benefits of marriage for the individual and the society; the second control characterizes the legal procedures, administrative complications, and the heavy financial and social consequences of divorces. The optimal control theory is applied to characterize such optimal strategies and determined numerically using a progressive-regressive discrete scheme to discuss the obtained results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 100958
Author(s):  
Elias Kondilis ◽  
Dimitris Papamichail ◽  
Sophie McCann ◽  
Elspeth Carruthers ◽  
Apostolos Veizis ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 61-75
Author(s):  
Anthea Vogl ◽  
Elyse Methven

This article critically examines techniques employed by the Australian state to expand its control of refugees and asylum seekers living in Australia. In particular, it analyses the operation of Australia’s unique Asylum Seeker Code of Behaviour, which asylum seekers who arrive by boat must sign in order to be released from mandatory immigration detention, with reference to an original dataset of allegations made under the Code. We argue that the Code and the regime of visa cancellation and re-detention powers of which it forms a part are manifestations of what Beckett and Murakawa call the ‘shadow carceral state’, whereby punitive state power is extended beyond prison walls through the blurring of civil, administrative and criminal legal authority. The Code contributes to Australia’s apparatus of refugee deterrence by adding to it a brutal system of surveillance, visa cancellation and denial of services for asylum seekers living in the community.


Author(s):  
Nwafor E. Odumegwu ◽  
Umeh M. Ngozi ◽  
Ebere U. Chidi

This research presents the epidemiological evaluation and statistical analysis COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria after three months of its first incidence. The aim is to assess the performance of the medical professionals, Nigerian Center for Disease and Control (NCDC), the Governments and the general public respectively in the fight against COVID-19 in the last three months of the first incidence case. This was done using the data collected from the NCDC and analyzed using the Microsoft BI analyzer. From the evaluation, it was observed that after three months, a total number of 8077 cases have been recorded. Of this, 68.5% are active cases, receiving treatment in the hospital, 28.6% have recovered while 2.9% have died with majority of them over 50 years in age and have cardiac related cases before the virus struck. The implication of this result shows that the health care professionals and NCDC are doing their best having recorded a very low death rate so far compared to the total recorded cases. However the government needs to support and properly equip the hospitals with enough health care resources to help optimize patient response to treatment. Finally it was observed that despite the low death rate recorded, that the rate of increased new cases is alarming. The implication is that the general public is not very supportive in this fight of COVID-19. Hence more public awareness and recommended to educate the public on the safety measures required to prevent the spread of this virus and ensure public safety.


2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Hynie

With the global increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers, mental health professionals have become more aware of the need to understand and respond to the mental health needs of forced migrants. This critical review summarizes the findings of recent systematic reviews and primary research on the impact of post-migration conditions on mental disorders and PTSD among refugees and asylum seekers. Historically, the focus of mental health research and interventions with these populations has been on the impact of pre-migration trauma. Pre-migration trauma does predict mental disorders and PTSD, but the post-migration context can be an equally powerful determinant of mental health. Moreover, post-migration factors may moderate the ability of refugees to recover from pre-migration trauma. The importance of post-migration stressors to refugee mental health suggests the need for therapeutic interventions with psychosocial elements that address the broader conditions of refugee and asylum seekers’ lives. However, there are few studies of multimodal interventions with refugees, and even fewer with control conditions that allow for conclusions about their effectiveness. These findings are interpreted using a social determinants of health framework that connects the risk and protective factors in the material and social conditions of refugees’ post-migration lives to broader social, economic and political factors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-116
Author(s):  
R. M. Duffy ◽  
S. O’Sullivan ◽  
G. Straton ◽  
B. Singleton ◽  
B. D. Kelly

ObjectivesThe asylum process has received a lot of recent media attention but little has been said about the psychological needs of those seeking or granted asylum. Many asylum seekers have experienced trauma and torture, which is associated with substantial psychiatric and psychological morbidity. The Spiritan Asylum Services Initiative (Spirasi) is Ireland’s national treatment centre for survivors of torture. The aim of this study was to examine the demographic profile of those attending Spirasi and to consider potential clinical implications of this.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed demographic data relating to the 2590 individuals who attended Spirasi over a 12-year period (2001–2012 inclusive).ResultsThe majority of attenders were asylum seekers (88%), male (71%) and from African countries. The mean age was 31.9 years. The rate of new referrals, as a percentage of Ireland’s asylum-seeking population, has stabilised at ~6% since 2008. Women are underrepresented among those who attend.ConclusionsThe number of new referrals to Spirasi is lower than expected given international estimates of torture prevalence and the impact this has on mental health. Clinicians working with populations of asylum seekers and refugees should sensitively enquire about such events and be aware of the available services. Female refugees and asylum seekers are underrepresented, especially from Asian and Middle Eastern regions. Psychiatric, psychological and general practice services need to respond flexibly to evolving patterns of migration and address potential barriers to access, especially among female refugees and asylum seekers.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 2138-2138
Author(s):  
M.C. Kastrup

WHO has predicted that in 2020 depression will be the second most important cause of disability.Studies focusing on cross- cultural aspects of depression have increased during the last decade, and depression has been studied cross-culturally regarding their prevalence and symptomatology.The WHO study assessing depression across cultures reported a core symptomatology across the participating centres, but with certain differences in the ranking of problems in e.g. patients from non -industrialised nations somatic symptoms often dominate.Furthermore, there is increasing focus on the impact of migration on depressive illness. Depressive syndromes are clearly very common in migrants, and are probably the most frequent mental disorders in people who move to other countries. Refugees and asylum seekers are subjected to significant social and psychological stress and are more vulnerable. For scientific purposes it is vital though to differentiate between the different aspects of influence, for example the frequency of disorders and problems in treatment. Results of studies on increased psychological morbidity in migrants do not indicate whether increased vulnerability is associated with a migration background, or with acculturation problems in the host country due to cultural differences, or a combination of both factors. Both culture and migration-specific factors, as well as the level of integration into the host country, determine the conflicting arguments.The presentation will provide an overview of the burden of depression in relation to culture, differences in symptomatology, the role of migration and other circumstantial factors having an impact on the appearance and outcome of the disorder.


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