Far from home, safe from home?? An exploration into fear of crime within African refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrant groups living in Cape Town, South Africa

Kaneunyenye, Simbarashe

Far from home, safe from home?? An exploration into fear of crime within African refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrant groups living in Cape Town, South Africa

Thesis / Dissertation

2023

Abstract

Introduction: Between 2008 and 2022, there have been instances of mass xenophobic violence directed at African migrants living in South Africa leading to the continual marginalisation of vulnerable groups such as refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. This marginalisation has in turn heightened their fear of being victims of crime themselves but the extent of their fear of crime has yet to be studied. This study seeks to address that gap and establish whether fear of crime in migrants living in a developing country can be studied using the models set by scholars within the Global North. It also seeks to identify potential differences including factors unique to not just the Global South, but Africa in particular. Methods: To gather exploratory data in this study, a mixed methods approach was adopted consisting of a survey, a focus group and 4 in-depth interviews. The qualitative data from this study was thematically analysed using themes drawn from two models used to predict fear of crime namely the vulnerability model as well as the social integration model. Results: From the interview and survey data, it is apparent that the participants experience high levels of fear of crime whilst living in South Africa. Participants reported that they feel particularly vulnerable because they are foreign. The subjects reported instances where they felt unsafe because of how they looked and sounded in new environments and the reception they received due to those differences. They attribute their lack of integration to a unique and unfriendly host community which excludes them. Their fear of crime restricts their mobility, employment opportunities, and their choices of where to reside. Conclusion: This study concluded that vulnerable migrant groups living in South Africa experience high fear of crime based on the social integration and vulnerability models of fear of crime. Furthermore, these groups experience high fear of crime due to the perception that they are targeted for being foreign. This is an experience they have only encountered in South Africa where the history of the country has made communities unwelcoming to other African migrants. Therefore, going forth, studies of fear of crime among migrants in the Global South should consider the colonial history and policies of the host nation to capture the unique experiences migrants may encounter in these countries.

Keywords

Public Law

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Masters

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