Trusting Democracy

The Law Can Work for Refugees, but what the System Needs Is an 'Injection of Humanity

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2308765
AutoresFatima Khan (0000-0001-7960-4998, Refugee Rights Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa, autor de correspondencia), Siphokazi Mbatani (Refugee Rights Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa), Charlotte Marais (Refugee Rights Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Año2021
Volumen56
Número1
Páginas48-63
Fecha de publicación2021-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0021909620946850
OpenAlexW3128314294
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas16

Newfound hope was seen in South Africa on 27 April 1994, when the country held its first democratic elections. In that spirit, South Africa acceded to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and agreed to uphold its promise of protecting the most vulnerable. However, 25 years on, refugees have experienced increased exclusion and rights violations. The last 25 years have brought with them numerous struggles for refugee communities, including violence, institutionalised xenophobia and a lack of political will. How do we get back the momentum and spirit that paved the way for democracy in South Africa? While South Africa has robust legislative measures, a sense of humanity has been lost in their implementation. This article offers an overview of what it means to be a refugee in democratic South Africa, and it asks whether we can trust our democracy to protect the most vulnerable. By exploring the day-to-day obstacles that refugees encounter from the moment they arrive in South Africa, this article aims to highlight the systematic breakdown of the generous laws that are supposed to protect refugees. The law can work, but an 'injection of humanity' is needed in public and private life to ensure that the vision of democracy is upheld

Convention · Crimes against humanity · Democracy · Human rights · Humanity · International law · Legislature · Political science · Politics · Refugee · Sociology · War crime · Xenophobia · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Human Rights and Development · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration