Political Refugees as Victims of Prejudice, Discrimination and Abuse

• NCJ Number: 219074
• Journal: Acta Criminologica Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 131-142
• Author(s): R. Pretorius
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: South Africa
• Note: Downloaded July 3, 2007. To access the full text PDF: 1) select the provided PDF link; 2) from the Acta Criminologica Web site, select "Table of Contents"; 3) select the corresponding Volume and Issue (see the NCJRS abstract record for the exact Volume and Issue); 4) scroll the Table of Contents to the exact article; and 5) click on the "full text" icon.

Annotation

This 2002 South African study interviewed 40 individuals who identified themselves as political refugees seeking asylum in South Africa, in order to determine why they came to South Africa and not some other country, their mode and conditions of transport to South Africa, and whether they had experienced unfair or unlawful treatment or harassment by the public or government officials.

Abstract

The respondents spoke repeatedly about how they feared for their lives and safety because of war in their countries of origin. They selected South Africa for asylum because of the country's image as a democracy, a civil and safe society under the rule of law, and a citizenry portrayed as hospitable and accepting of people from diverse backgrounds. Some respondents were hesitant and evasive when answering questions about how they obtained documentation for and transport to South Africa. This was probably due to their fear of retaliation from traffickers or repatriation by authorities because of illegal entry into South Africa. All 40 respondents reported that they were often identified by their physical appearance, accent or language, and/or clothing as a foreigner and verbally abused as a foreigner. Such verbal abuse of refugees is apparently common in South Africa. No respondents had been physically assaulted by the police or any other public official; however, two men and one woman were assaulted by members of the public. A few respondents were considering applying for asylum in another country, because South Africa did not prove to be the kind of accepting society they had expected. A 31-item bibliography