Reunification of the Refugee Family in South Africa: A Legal Right?

Family unity is not considered a right within international refugee instruments and as a result the laws and policies of most states are silent in this regard. Family unity is however a legal concept which is addressed extensively in various other international law instruments. This paper contends that refugee law as a dynamic body of law is informed by these international law instruments and it should not be viewed as an isolated body of law and be denied the benefits there from. The right of family unity is often distinguished from the right to family reunification, which extends protection more specifically to families that have been separated that wish to reunite. Even though few human rights instruments specifically designate a right offamily reunification it will be argued that to deny family reunification is to effectively violate the right to family unity. This paper furthermore examines the right to family reunification as it applies to refugees, looking specifically at the current status of South African and international law. It will be emphasised that because refugee law is informed by international human rights law, it can support, reinforce or supplement refugee law.L’unité familiale n’est pas considérée comme un droit au sein des politiques et outils internationaux concernant les réfugiés, et en conséquence, les lois et politiques de la plupart des États n’en font pas mention. Pourtant, l’unité familiale est un concept juridique dûment traité dans les autres politiques et outils du droit international. Cet article soutient que la loi sur les réfugiés, en tant que corpus dynamique de lois, est organiquement lié aux autres lois et politiques internationales, et qu’elle ne devrait pas être privée de leurs aspects positifs, en étant traitée comme un corpus isolé de lois. Le droit à l’unité familiale est parfois distingué du droit à la réunification familiale, qui étend sa protection principalement aux familles qui ont été séparées et qui souhaitent se réunir. Bien que quelques instruments juridiques du droit de la personne mentionnent spécifiquement le droit à la réunification familiale, nous soutenons que nier ce droit revient en réalité à violer le droit à l’unité familiale. Cet article examine le droit à la réunification familiale et comment il s’applique pour les réfugiés, et en particulier dans le cas de l’Afrique du Sud et du droit international. L’article souligne que les lois internationales sur les droits de la personne, parce qu’elles sous-tendent la loi sur les réfugiés, peut en fait soutenir, renforcer et compléter cette dernière

Bioremediation of chemically contaminated soil : extraction/analysis methodology development.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.The efficacies of soil extraction methods, namely, Soxhlet, sonication, agitation, alkaline digestion and the ethyl acetate micro-method, for monitoring soil bioremediation were evaluated using three soil types, Swartland, Rensburg and Hutton, encompassing the mineralogical range prevalent in Kwa Zulu Natal. Phenol, atrazine and the BTEX component of petrol were the molecules used in this study and were extracted under different spiking concentrations, after prolonged ageing times up to 21 days and after changing the composition of the spiking solution. It was concluded that extraction methods must be validated for the specific conditions under which they would be used, taking into consideration, soil type, spiking solutions, moisture content, weathering times and the analyte(s) in question. A preliminary appraisal of atrazine degradation in a Hutton soil was then made under the conditions of sterilized, fertilized/non-fertilized and non-sterilized, fertilized/nonfertilized soils. The predominant pathway of atrazine degradation was deemed to be chemically/abiotically mediated due to the soil pH and the presence of iron and aluminium oxides as well as the high levels of manganese in the soil. The results obtained prompted further study into atrazinecatabolism using soil-slurry reactors, under the conditions of carbon-limitation, nitrogen limitation, carbon/nitrogen non-limitation and carbon/nitrogen limitation. A comparison was made between inoculated and non-inoculated bioreactors. The ability of the indigenous microbial population to return the Hutton soil to its original pristine state was confirmed. The expense of inoculation and culture maintenance could be avoided since carbon and nitrogen supplementation would be as equally effective as inoculation

Voltaire’s Critique of Organized Religion in Candide

About the Author Fatima Khan is a recent graduate from Wesleyan College with a double major in Biology and International Relations. Her research interests are in exploring the intersection between historical and social identities and delivery of healthcare

Has South Africa committed in good faith to article 34 of the UN Refugee Convention, which calls for the naturalisation of refugees?

It is widely accepted that to be naturalised one must acquire the nationality of a political or national community, and that such a status is accompanied by various rights. It is also widely accepted that nationality can be acquired in various ways. Article 34 of the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees provides that States must facilitate the naturalisation and assimilation of refugees and expedite these proceedings as far as possible. As South Africa has not filed any reservations to the UN Refugee Convention, it is bound to respect Article 34 of this treaty and thus not block the  pathway to naturalisation. Failure to do so means that South Africa is violating its obligations under international law. There is a legal pathway to ending refugee status in South Africa; however, it is bound by a  complicated process regulated by three different pieces of legislation , namely, the Refugees Act, the Immigration Act, and the Citizenship Act. It therefore appears that South Africa has not enacted this provision in good faith. This article provides an analysis of South Africa’s domestication of Article 34 of the UN Refugee Convention. Moreover, it concludes that the current system is complicated and hinders refugees from accessing naturalisation, and therefore is not in the spirit of the UN Refugee Conventio

In chronic exile: A critique of South Africa's legal regime for refugees in protracted refugee situations

The major thrust of refugee protection worldwide is directed towards providing assistance to refugees in emergency situations. In South Africa, a large number of refugees have moved beyond this initial emergency phase such that the extended nature of their refugee status has left them in a state of continuous vulnerability. Their prolonged exile has led to violations of various rights recognised by international law and South Africa’s own constitutional and refugee law. Faced with restricted access to rights, refugees in South Africa live in poverty, are frustrated, and do not realise their full potential, to say nothing about the overt and brutal attacks they constantly face as victims of xenophobia. Their continued status as refugees deprives them of opportunities and subjects them to constant fear of harassment and exploitation. Even though neither the UNHCR nor the South African government has classified refugees living in South Africa as being in a protracted situation, many refugees have been in South Africa for five years or longer, with no durable solution in sight. This thesis highlights the plight of refugees in protracted refugee situation in South Africa and recommends suitable solutions to the problems this situation raises

Interpreting for Refugees: “Where practicable and necessary only?”

Legal interpreting is a highly specialized profession, not simply a function that any bilingual person can perform. Countries that have laws and regulations on court interpreting have them on the basis that everyone (including linguistic minorities) has the right to due process. In South Africa legal interpreting takes place in a variety of state institutions and the Refugee Reception Offices of the Department of Home affairs is one such setting. The present study investigates legal interpreting at asylum determinations and hearings. The focus is on two stages of the asylum application, which are crucial for determining refugee status. This paper aims to explore the right of an asylum seeker to an interpreter at these stages of the status determination procedure. It will also compare this right to the existing right in international law and assess whether South Africa has met the minimum requirement to enable a due process.L’interprétation juridique est une profession hautement spécialisée, et non une simple fonction que toute personne bilingue peut effectuer. Les pays qui ont des lois et des règlements sur l’interprétation juridique les ont développés en raison d’une reconnaissance que tous (incluant les minorités linguistiques) ont droit à une procédure régulière. En Afrique du Sud, l’interprétation juridique est pratiquée dans une variété d’institutions d’État, et le Bureau de l’Accueil des Réfugiés du Département des Affaires Intérieures en est un exemple. Cette étude examine en particulier la pratique de l’interprétation juridique lors des décisions et des audiences liées aux demandes d’asile. L’étude se concentre sur deux étapes de la demande d’asile, cruciales dans la détermination du statut de réfugié. Cet article explore le droit du demandeur d’asile à l’interprétation juridique durant ces deux étapes de la détermination de son statut. On y compare également ce droit aux droits existants dans le droit international, et évalue si l’Afrique du Sud rencontre les conditions minimales nécessaires à une procédure régulière

Provider-level considerations for treating HIV in Latinos living in the United States

It is well documented that Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) disproportionately affects Hispanics and Latinos in the United States (US). While Hispanics represented 17% of the US population in 2014, they accounted for nearly one-fourth (23%) of all new estimated HIV diagnoses. Furthermore, Hispanics/Latinos made up nearly one-fifth (21%) of all persons living with HIV infection in the United States (and six dependent areas). Hispanic/Latino populations face numerous barriers that negatively impact their outcomes along several steps of the HIV care continuum. This paper will discuss the HIV care continuum, particularly focusing on disparities that Hispanic and Latino populations may face progressing through several steps of the continuum. Furthermore, a focus on defining barriers that this population may face accessing and maintaining regular HIV care will be used to explore ways that providers can deliver culturally tailored, appropriate HIV care to this population. An emphasis on the social determinants of health on the HIV outcomes of Hispanics/Latinos will be crucial in addressing the disproportionate share of the HIV burden that this population encounters

Evaluation of kidney injury molecule-1 as a disease progression biomarker in diabetic nephropathy

Background & Objective: Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) is a peptide whose release into circulation is specific to tubular injury. This study aimed to estimate levels of kidney injury molecule-1 in diabetic patients with and without kidney disease. And evaluate the role of KIM-1 as an early screening marker of progressive kidney injury.Methods: This follow-up study included n=85 subjects from the diabetic clinic of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC) in collaboration with Aga Khan University from November 2016 till September 2017. They were divided as: i) Group A1 (n=30) participants with diabetes for \u3c5 years without microalbuminuria ii) Group A2 (n= 30) subjects with diabetes for 6-10 years with microalbuminuria; iii) Group B (n=25) subjects as healthy control group. All study participants were followed for 6 months and their blood glucose, urea, creatinine, electrolytes, albuminuria and serum KIM-1 were assayed.Results: High KIM-1 at baseline was present in group A2 patients as compared to controls and group A1 (p\u3c0.001). Higher levels were seen after six months in group A1 along with the presence of micro albuminuria (p\u3c0.001) suggesting kidney damage. Moderate positive association were seen for KIM1 with creatinine levels (r=0.530; p\u3c0.001), and HbA1c (r=0.576; p\u3c0.001) in all patients. While a strong positive association was seen for blood urea nitrogen as a marker for kidney function both at baseline (r= 0.728; p=0.000) and follow up (r=0.747; p=0.001). Multiple logistic regression controlling for age showed that KIM1 was independently associated with BUN (r=0.727; p\u3c0.001), creatinine (r=0.510; p\u3c0.001) and HbA1c (r=0.401; p=0.008) in all groups.Conclusion: Rising KIM-1 levels with progressive kidney damage with or without derangement of kidney function is reported in this study. This finding may pave a way towards identifying KIM1 as a prognostic marker for kidney injury

Self esteem and Coping Styles Coping Styles among the Divorced People

The current study aimed at finding out the relationship between self-esteem and coping styles among divorced working people. The sample consisted of 120 divorced working people, which was further divided into (n=60) men and (n=60) women from different public and private sectors. Purposive sampling technique was used. The age range of the participants was taken from 30 to 45 years. The educational level was from middle to B.A. Self-esteem questionnaire by Rifai (1991) (Urdu version) and coping responses inventory (Urdu version) by Mehmood and Sheraz (2012) were used. The results of this study revealed significant negative correlation between low level of self-esteem and avoidance coping styles and significant positive correlation between high level of self-esteem and approach coping styles. Many divorced people were unaware of their problems because they did not realize the actual reason of their problem. This study will activate psychologists, counselors and NGO's to work positively for divorced people. It will motivate to develop special skill and coping skills for divorced people. This research will develop awareness to the society, government and private agencies that will work effectively for the counseling, therapy or rehabilitation of the divorced people. Keywords: Self-esteem, coping styles, working divorced people, awareness, rehabilitatio