Asylum Access

South Africa

Asylum Access's recently–concluded South African partnership helped refugees assert ongoing rights to safety and protection from violence in a new home.

In collaboration with the University of Cape Town Law Clinic, Asylum Access ran a legal rights project that trained refugees to navigate various legal, administrative and community systems to assert their rights within South Africa — in particular, their right to police protection from xenophobic violence.

In 2006, refugee communities in South Africa experienced an escalation of xenophobic violence. It started small: Shopkeepers found their windows smashed. Communities were warned not to venture out in public. But it soon escalated: Over 25 Somalis were killed in July 2006 alone. Refugees who call the police often received no response.

The South Africa project, dubbed "Sustained Advocacy For Empowered Refugees" or "SAFER," educated refugees about their legal rights and mechanisms for asserting those rights, including procedures for reporting crimes, accessing police oversight boards if local law enforcement ignores community needs, and bringing civil rights violations before the South African Human Rights Commission.

Unfortunately, obtaining legal status alone doesn't always guarantee that refugees' other rights will be respected. The SAFER project is a legal empowerment model that ensured refugees are protected, not only from deportation back to a government that threatens their safety, but also from threats of violence within their adopted homes.