Making asylum seekers more vulnerable in South Africa: The negative effects of hostile asylum policies on livelihoods
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Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
In post-apartheid South Africa, migration policies and legislation have left critical issues such
as social cohesion and integration unsolved. Furthermore, the inability to reconcile the national
interest of maintaining borders’ integrity with respecting moral and legal obligations has
placed the asylum system under tremendous stress. Drawing from secondary sources, as well
as qualitative interviews, this paper explores the development of new asylum policies aimed at
curtailing asylum seekers’ right to work in South Africa. The study’s findings provide support
for the conclusions of earlier research that highlights the consequences of hostile policies and
practices for asylum seekers’ livelihoods. The author argues that curtailments on asylum seekers’
right to work will have many possible socio-economic ramifications. In the immediate
term, the legislation seeks to inhibit asylum seekers from engaging in self-employment, while
in the long run it may achieve the undesired effect of producing more precarious forms of
livelihood.
Description
Keywords
Migration, Post-Apartheid, Legislation, South Africa, Social development
Citation
Carciotto, S. (2020). Making asylum seekers more vulnerable in South Africa: The negative effects of hostile asylum policies on livelihoods. International Migration, 59(5), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12788