scholarly journals Tragic and Heroic Moments in the Lives of Forced Migrants: Memories of Political Asylum-Seekers in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Refuge ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest A. Pineteh ◽  
Thecla N. Mulu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Political Asylum ◽  
Discursive Space ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Forced Migrants ◽  
Personal Accounts ◽  
At Home

This article examines the memories of a group of Cameroonian asylum-seekers in South Africa, analyzing personal accounts of memories of fear, suffering, and pain as well as resilience and heroism during their forced migration. The article argues that the legitimacy of applications for asylum often depends on accurate and consistent memories of specific life-threatening episodes at home and during migration. Drawing on theoretical conceptions such as construction of memory, autobiographical memory, and politics of storytelling, this article teases out how personal memories of asylum-seekers provide a discursive space to access and understand the asymmetries of seeking political asylum in post-apartheid South Africa.

scholarly journals The expected well-being of urban refugees and asylum-seekers in Johannesburg

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talita Greyling
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Urban Refugees ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Forced Migrants ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

The influx of asylum-seekers and refugees from across Africa into democratic South Africa has increased significantly. The aim of this paper is to determine the factors that influences the expect well-being of this unique group. Expected well-being is an important determinant of both the decision to migrate and the choice of a country of destination. Knowledge about this determinant therefore informs refugee policies. The results show that only a few of the factors found in the literature explaining the expected well-being of voluntary migrants also explain the expected well-being of forced migrants. However, a number of factors found in the literature that explain the subjective well-being and well-being in general of refugees and asylum-seekers also went towards explaining the expected well-being of this group. These factors include: government assistance, culture, the time spent in South Africa, economic factors, crime, refugee status, reasons for leaving the home countries and the number of people staying in a house in the receiving country. The findings of this study emphasise the differences between forced and voluntary migrants and highlight the factors that influence the expected well-being of forced migrants. These in turn shed light on migration decisions and the choice of destination countries.

scholarly journals Forced Migration Governance in Southeast Asian Countries: ‘Same but Different’?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-78
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riza Nurdin ◽  
Mala Rajo Sathian ◽  
Hanafi Hussin
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Forced Migrants ◽  
Local Policies ◽  
Southeast Asian Countries

This paper examines the governance of forced migration in Southeast Asia. The region hosts about 2.5 million of forcibly displaced migrants from a worldwide total of 70 million (2018). The migrants include intra- ASEAN and non-ASEAN refugees or asylum seekers, notably from the Middle East.  Based on a review of recent literature, the paper investigates three main destination states in SEA that host the majority of the forced migrants; Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The paper examines (i) local policies in the governance of forced migrants and (2) the practice of non-refoulement principle. The findings reveal that in terms of forced migration governance, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are ‘same but different'; meaning that despite being similar, each country produces different outcomes.  

Enhancing food-related agency in refugees and asylum seekers: A driver to resilience and regenerative empowerment

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Maria Giovanna Onorati
Keyword(s):  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Forced Migrants ◽  
Research Action ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

The paper argues the importance of food in the contexts of "forced migration" and the promising impact of enhancing food-related capabilities on refugees' em-powerment and social inclusion. To support the argument, the Author presents a pilot project based on research-action and providing food training for 39 refugees hosted in Piedmont. The research findings show that a participatory approach to training that values prior culinary learning, and the use of narrative interviews elic-iting food stories, may favour empowerment and social inclusion. Recovering food-related agency within refugees' unfinished journeys contributes to an em-powerment going beyond a sedentarist model of integration, namely a one-way and singularly place-bound demand of adaptation. Food agency is a basic enti-tlement that proves to be a major source of well-being for forced migrants, as well as a regenerative occasion for both healing ‘refugee gaps', and providing a more sustainable approach to resources.

Getting Out: Political asylum, sexual minorities, and privileged visibility

Sexualities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1016-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Shuman ◽  
Wendy S Hesford
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Asylum

As part of an emerging field of films documenting the obstacles faced by sexual minorities fleeing persecution and seeking political asylum, the film Getting Out documents both the persecution of sexual minorities in Uganda and the obstacles individuals face in their attempts to get political asylum in South Africa. Using the film as a springboard, we assess the larger issues of recognition, visibility, hypervisibility, and performativity in encounters between sexual minorities, their advocates, and political asylum officials. The rhetorical power of Getting Out lies in its performative staging of LGBTQI asylum seekers’ navigation of often competing cultural and legal logics on sexuality. The film calls attention to profound contradictions in the political asylum system for sexual minorities and for any others who challenge the normativity of a social group.

Adverse Events Reporting System as Experienced by Critical-Care Nurses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thusile Mabel Gqaleni ◽  
Busisiwe Rosemary Bhengu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Family Involvement ◽  
Reporting System ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Critical Care Nurses ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Life Threatening

Critically ill patients admitted to critical-care units (CCUs) might have life-threatening or potentially life-threatening problems. Adverse events (AEs) occur frequently in CCUs, resulting in compromised quality of patient care. This study explores the experiences of critical-care nurses (CCNs) in relation to how the reported AEs were analysed and handled in CCUs. The study was conducted in the CCUs of five purposively selected hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A descriptive qualitative design was used to obtain data through in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of five unit managers working in the CCUs to provide a deeper meaning of their experiences. This study was a part of a bigger study using a mixed-methods approach. The recorded qualitative data were analysed using Tesch’s content analysis. The main categories of information that emerged during the data analysis were (i) the existence of an AE reporting system, (ii) the occurrence of AEs, (iii) the promotion of and barriers to AE reporting, and (iv) the handling of AEs. The findings demonstrated that there were major gaps that affected the maximum utilisation of the reporting system. In addition, even though the system existed in other institutions, it was not utilised at all, hence affecting quality patient care. The following are recommended: (1) a non-punitive and non-confrontational system should be promoted, and (2) an organisational culture should be encouraged where support structures are formed within institutions, which consist of a legal framework, patient and family involvement, effective AE feedback, and education and training of staff.

COVID-19, migration and inclusive cities through e-governance: strategies to manage asylum seekers in Durban, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kariuki ◽  
Maria Lauda Goyayi ◽  
Lizzy Oluwatoyin Ofusori
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Public Services ◽  
City Government ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Strategies ◽  
The Government ◽  
The City

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of electronic governance (e-governance) in enabling asylum seekers’ access to public services in the city of Durban, South Africa. Because of COVID-19, the government scaled down its operations, limiting access to public services, including among migrants. Design/methodology/approach Because of COVID-19-related restrictions, a systematic review was conducted of the relevant academic literature as well as the information portals of relevant government departments, municipalities and research reports on migration and refugees in South Africa. A total of 320 peer-reviewed research articles were identified. These were filtered and 68 relevant articles were selected. Findings The study found that asylum seekers have limited access to public services via information communication technology-enabled mechanisms. Whilst the city government has embraced e-governance, it is still in its nascent stages. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to a desktop one because of COVID-19 restrictions and it focused exclusively on asylum seekers. Therefore, its findings can only be generalised to this category of people. Practical implications Future studies on this subject should gather data from all categories of migrants to gain in-depth perspectives. Social implications All spheres of governance in South Africa should recognise asylum seekers as a constituency that deserves access to public services. E-governance can facilitate easier access to these services, and policies need to be aligned with this reality. Originality/value This study examined the efficacy of e-governance in enabling access to government services by asylum seekers during COVID-19. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other study on this subject was conducted during this period.

scholarly journals Diphtheria and the respiratory system: Lessons from 2015 Outbreak

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Medeshni Annamalai
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Respiratory System ◽  
Corynebacterium Diphtheriae ◽  
Bacterial Disease ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Toxigenic Strains

<p> </p><p align="left">South Africa experienced a diphtheria outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal Province between March and August 2015. Diphtheria is a contagious and potentially life-threatening bacterial disease caused by the toxigenic strains of <em><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: xx-small;">Corynebacterium diphtheriae.</span></em> </p>

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