Social protection for refugees and asylum seekers: a South African case study

As vulnerable groups, refugees and asylum seekers must be covered by social protection policies and practices to protect them against destitution, vulnerability and exclusion. Scholars have examined social protection for these groups in various receiving societies, but there is little scholarly work on the normative framework of social protection, its implementation and the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in multiple domains. This South African case study addresses this lacuna by drawing on secondary literature. Although South Africa’s policy framework is generally hostile toward refugees and asylum seekers, the judiciary advocates for their protection. The chapter documents the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers with reference to social protection in domains such as accessing documentation, social assistance, health, housing, education and the labour market. Important steps need to be taken to address the manifold challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers in keeping with national and international human rights instruments.