Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Summary
The conference was jointly organized by Southern African Media and Gender
Institute (SAMGI), Democratic Governance and Rights Unit (DGRU) and the
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as part of the activities
of Refugee Month and highlighted the plight facing the thousands of refugees in
South Africa at present.
Much was said about the incapacity or inability of the Department of Home Affairs
to assist refugees, the role its ineptitude played in exacerbating the plight of
refugees and the question of whose responsibility it was to ensure the safety of
refugees and their families while they were in South Africa.
Also discussed were the crucial role that the right of access to information could
play in assisting refugees and the relevance of legal instruments such as the
Convention on Refugees and South African law relevant to the rights of refugees.
At one stage the conference was divided into smaller “commissions”, in which
delegates could choose to participate and which then discussed and reported
back on the following related topics:
The conference urged all those participating to take the ideas discussed during
the conference back home with them, to keep the dialogue alive and to take
responsibility for helping to alleviate the plight of refugees.
Participants were urged to spread the message that far from being an enemy,
refugees had a meaningful and useful contribution to make to society and should
be welcomed in such a spirit.
Attendance
The conference participants were divided into four (4) “commissions” and then
discussed and reported back on the following related topics:
Safety and security is patently lacking and there is a pervasive feeling of fear
among refugees. This lack of safety and fear affects not only refugees but all
South Africans. Therefore the causes and the effects of this state of affairs are
very complex.
Way forward
Broadly speaking, these are points that participants highlighted as a way forward
to an effective integration of refugees in South Africa: