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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Maria-Teresa Gil-Bazo
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Despite the difficulties experienced by asylum-seekers in South Africa, little research has explored long-term asylum applicants. This exploratory qualitative study describes how protracted asylum procedures and associated conditions are experienced by Congolese asylum-seekers in Tshwane, South Africa. Eighteen asylum-seekers and eight key informants participated in the study. All asylum-seekers had arrived in South Africa between 2003 and 2013, applied for asylum within a year of arrival in Tshwane, and were still in the asylum procedure at the time of the interview, with an average of 9 years since their application. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings presented focus on the process of leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo, applying for asylum and aspirations of positive outcomes for one’s life. Subsequently, it describes the reality of prolonged periods of unfulfilled expectations and how protracted asylum procedures contribute to poor mental health. Furthermore, coping mechanisms to mitigate these negative effects are described. The findings suggest that protracted asylum procedures in South Africa cause undue psychological distress. Thus, there is both a need for adapted provision of mental health services to support asylum-seekers on arrival and during the asylum process, and systemic remediation of the implementation of asylum procedures.
Author(s): Schockaert L, Venables E, Gil-Bazo MT, Barnwell G, Gerstenhaber R, Whitehouse K
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Refugee Survey Quarterly
Year: 2020
Volume: 39
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-30
Print publication date: 01/03/2020
Online publication date: 21/02/2020
Acceptance date: 27/10/2019
ISSN (print): 1020-4067
ISSN (electronic): 1471-695X
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdz018
DOI: 10.1093/rsq/hdz018
Notes: This is the result of a collaborative Project with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). MSF has paid the Open Access fee and the article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any me- dium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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