Refugees, Migration and the Need for the Emergence of an Appropriate Moral Vision
In this essay I will discuss the problems that refugees and people who migrate. I will typically focus on South Africa and its people and in addition I will be supporting my suggestion that a new moral vision has to emerge by drawing on articles from various sources.
First it is imperative that we have a clear understanding of what a Refugee is. “A Refugee by definition is a person who is outside their country of origin or habitual residence because they have suffered or fear persecution on account of race, religion, nationality” (Wikpedia). Now in South Africa one could say that we are basically the ‘Homeless Shelter’ of the African continent because of the high number of refugees and migrants that come to our shores annually.
Local citizens however are far from pleased about this situation though. There is obviously a fear that along with the refugees come an increase in crime, job demands and they feel as if the refugees are steeling opportunities from them etc. This would be quite understandable if it were entirely true though. When refugees flee their home countries for various reasons, they do it with a hope, with a genuine belief that they will make a better life for not just themselves but for their families too. That to me sounds like they carry with them a vision for a good society, a vision that WE ALL should share.
A new moral vision has to be brought forth. Refugees are people too. They deserve a chance at a better life, a chance to make something more of themselves, it is a basic human right and we as humans have to ensure that this is carried out. I envision a society where equal access to services and opportunities should be given, irrespective of where you’ve been or come from.
I think what we need to see from government is a sort of reshuffling of ideas and strategies. They need to rethink the old ones and at the same time implement some new ones so refugees and migrants alike can have a fair shot at bettering their lives. The current
First it is imperative that we have a clear understanding of what a Refugee is. “A Refugee by definition is a person who is outside their country of origin or habitual residence because they have suffered or fear persecution on account of race, religion, nationality” (Wikpedia). Now in South Africa one could say that we are basically the ‘Homeless Shelter’ of the African continent because of the high number of refugees and migrants that come to our shores annually.
Local citizens however are far from pleased about this situation though. There is obviously a fear that along with the refugees come an increase in crime, job demands and they feel as if the refugees are steeling opportunities from them etc. This would be quite understandable if it were entirely true though. When refugees flee their home countries for various reasons, they do it with a hope, with a genuine belief that they will make a better life for not just themselves but for their families too. That to me sounds like they carry with them a vision for a good society, a vision that WE ALL should share.
A new moral vision has to be brought forth. Refugees are people too. They deserve a chance at a better life, a chance to make something more of themselves, it is a basic human right and we as humans have to ensure that this is carried out. I envision a society where equal access to services and opportunities should be given, irrespective of where you’ve been or come from.
I think what we need to see from government is a sort of reshuffling of ideas and strategies. They need to rethink the old ones and at the same time implement some new ones so refugees and migrants alike can have a fair shot at bettering their lives. The current
Bibliography: 1) Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee 2) High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Migration/Pages/MigrationAndHumanRightsIndex.aspx 3) Conradie, E.M. (2006). Chapter 2: Pp.19. In: Morality as a Way of Life: An Introduction to Ethical Theory. Stellenbosch: SUN PreSS.