Effects Of Xenophobia

1592 Words7 Pages
1.1. The objective of this project is to investigate Xenophobia in my community and research why it is happening and the effects of it. 1.2. Xenophobia is an irrational hatred towards foreigners. Evidence of xenophobia in South Africa can be seen in the violent and homicidal assaults on immigrants by citizens. Xenophobia violates a number of human rights including the right to equality as these foreigners are not being treated as an equal, the right to human dignity as their dignity has been stripped away from them, their right to life as many lose their life in the violent attacks against them, the right to citizenship as they are being denied the right to stay in the country and the right to freedom of movement and residence as they are…show more content…
People who are charged with first degree murder can be sentenced to life in prison. This law discourages people from committing murder but it does not protect people who are murdered. It merely provides justice to those who are wronged. • The Right to Physical Security for Refugees in South African Law: There is no specific right to physical security detailed in the Constitution but this does not undermine the importance of the right. This right guarantees refugees to treatment equivalent to that guaranteed to “other aliens.” However this right is being blatantly ignored by many South African citizens which leads to unfair treatment of many people. This violates people’s dignity and right to protection and life forcing them to live in fear. • The Refugees Act: The act deals with rights and requirements pertaining asylum and refugee seekers. The act entitles refugees to the right to enjoy full legal protection including the rights set out in the Bill of Rights. All people, not only citizens, are entitled to these rights. This shows that the drafters of the Constitution intended them to apply to both nationals and non-nationals. Since most physical violence against refugees is borne out of xenophobia, the right to equality and not to be discriminated against is closely linked to the protection of the right to physical security for refugees. This law is quite strict in terms of its policy and justice is almost always served…show more content…
Poor policy decisions in border policing therefore contributed directly to the presence of a large illegal population in South Africa. Without adequate legal standing in the community, these people became easy target for mob violence. The police's own heavy handed raids on illegal immigrants further created the impression that they were not wanted and that it was okay for these violent outbursts to occur. Foreign policy The failure to condemn initial violence contributed directly to the massive inflow of foreign immigrants. Such diplomacy creates the impression that violence targeted at Zimbabweans was acceptable as long as it took place in Zimbabwe. South Africa's inability to secure its borders, our foreign policy on Zimbabwe was destined to have only one effect - the inflow of illegal immigrants. This created local citizens to become enraged and violent. Corruption Anger by South Africans at immigrants with illegal documents getting access to services is understandable and was brought about in large part by the failure of the police and the department of home affairs to crack down on fraudulent

More about Effects Of Xenophobia

Open Document