Xenophobia and Its Impact on Human Rights of Migrants: A Study of Nigerians in South Africa

Abstract

This paper examined xenophobia in South Africa as it impacts the human rights of immigrants specifically Nigerians. Xenophobia has become a persistent immorality in Africa and it is more rampant in South Africa. The vulnerability of Nigerians to the maltreatment abroad and the immediate need to protect their fundamental human rights in this case, as migrants has been a subject of major concern. Due to this, the violence against immigrants and the violations of their fundamental human rights as migrants in South Africa calls for attention. The relative deprivation theory as well as the frustration-aggression theory are embraced as the theoretical framework of this paper. How xenophobia continues to violate the fundamental human rights of Nigerian immigrants in South Africa with an attempt to understand the primary reason for the constant xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The observational research method is incorporated as a methodology in this paper in order to give detailed events of xenophobia in recent years. To understand the human rights of immigrants, various legal provisions put in place by the United Nations on migrant rights are also addressed in the paper. This paper provided occurrences of human rights violation by South Africans against immigrants using secondary data. Data reveal that the violations of immigrants’ rights such as: right to life, right to freedom of association, right to security amongst others in South Africa over the years continue to increase mostly due to xenophobia. This paper strongly suggests the need for the South African government to be held accountable for these violations. As a show of good faith, the South African government should establish human rights protection institutions for migrants residing in their region with deliberate intent of protecting these immigrants