Emily Mader/28/01/2008/7:25pm/Human Rights
As the economy of Zimbabwe worsens, many citizens are fleeing the country to find refuge in neighboring African states, particularly South Africa. As the populations of refugees increase, many South African citizens have resorted to violence over what they see as employment theft. The African Commission on People’s and Human Rights (ACPHR) has stated that xenophobia is on its list of highest concerns. The ACPHR is particularly concerned about the situation in South Africa due to the country’s long history of violent crime. Zimbabwean refugees feel that now is a critical time for governments and human rights groups to take action against the violence, which is escalating daily. Many of these refugees have no option but to emigrate due to the lack of basic amenities, such as food and medicine, in their home countries.
I couldn’t help but think about the parallels between this situation in South Africa and the situation we have here in the United States: both countries are facing a large influx of immigrants and facing the change in xenophobic ways. The Zimbabwean immigrants have no choice but to leave their country due to the extreme economic hardships they are facing, but at the same time the South African infrastructure was not created to withstand this strain. It is in these situations that governments need to take action to solve what are serious human rights violations, but I’m afraid to say that South Africa is dropping the ball on this issue.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200801281693.html
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