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IN SOUTH AFRICA
STOP XENOPHOBIA
Our Mission:
Reforming the Consciousness of Apartheid
To promote racial equality through inspiring stronger social and political will against xenophobia.
South Africa has had a long history of human rights violations, ranging from the days of colonialism to recent history with apartheid, and although enormous progress has been made in terms of racial equality in South Africa, xenophobic sentiment remains. The forty-year regime of apartheid not only segregated and discriminated against the African population of the country but also ingrained its racial discrimination in the minds of the public. Apartheid remains recent history in South Africa, and as long as the memory of apartheid lives on than people in the population will continue to reminisce for the old regime. However, South Africa can guide their population towards racial equality by...
1. Education
Education is the key to understanding; without the furthering of knowledge, we would be stuck in a constant naive state of the changing world around us. States must “evaluate the impact of budget cuts on education at a time of economic crisis, particularly for disadvantaged minorities and groups,” said Mr. Mutuma Ruteere of the Human Rights Council. In a report released in 2013, the United Nations made strong recommendations to countries struggling against xenophobia, suggesting that they must reform their educational systems to incorporate minority perspectives, inclusive curriculums and greater opportunities for minority groups to obtain a proper education. Education programs such as these could help foster an environment of inclusion that is so obviously lacking in the society today.
2. International Cooperation
Local South African NGOs have been actively condemning the xenophobic violence spreading through the country, even organizing a march to show their solidarity with the victims. While NGOs want the violence to cease, they are in pursuit of accountability from not only criminals, but also incitors. With this in mind, we recommend that international NGOs such as Amnesty International or the UN collaborate with local NGOs to seek accountability, especially from government officials. These international actors in many cases have more funds and international clout which can be used to pursue the cause against xenophobic violence. Along these lines, we suggest that the UN creates a specialized committee that can dedicate itself to the issue of South African xenophobia .
3. National Action Plan
The South African government, in conjunction with civil society actors, have formulated a five-year plan in effort to combat xenophobia, racism, and discrimination. This National Action Plan seeks to address growing human rights abuses relating to xenophobia and gender-based violence and discrimination. This plan, which looks to achieve greater equality and justice in South Africa to raise public awareness about anti-racism and improve access to justice and better protection for victims, should be supported by the international community, namely international organizations which have the ability to further raise public awareness in efforts to combat inequality and injustice.
4. Hateful rhetoric
Recognizing that there is a direct correlation between hate speech and hate crimes is crucial to addressing xenophobic attacks. The language and rhetoric used by the government and its people alike, plays an important role in shaping societal norms and values. In the absence of condemnation from the highest levels of government, hateful ideologies and discriminatory rhetoric have the capacity to manifest into violence and pose a very real risk to people’s lives. This trend can be evidenced around the world, even in the United States where a woman was killed during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017. The South African government must play an active role in calling out hateful rhetoric and prosecuting those who have demonstrated themselves to be a threat to society.
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