Human Rights Office, Projects and Progress

The Legal Services Department

On a daily basis the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office assists refugees and /or asylum seekers who have been subjected to various human rights violations. Solving their legal issues could mean guiding them through the bureaucratic system which exists within the Department of Home Affairs in order for them to obtain asylum seeker permits or refugee status or permanent residency, or providing legal advice on a variety of subjects.

In one of the cases, volunteers have conducted research in an effort to define what a medical emergency is in terms of section 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa[ Act 108 of 1996] after a complaint was lodged with our office regarding a complainant who was refused medical treatment whilst giving birth to her baby.

A new project for the Legal Services Department is the Parliamentary project which is comprised of the following: research assistance to parliamentarians within their specific Portfolios; monitoring of policy and legislation, the presentation of oral and written submissions. The main objective is to make sure that no bills are passed that are not in compliance with the Constitution. As recent as 28 February 2010, the volunteers of PAHRO compiled a written submission to Parliament, focusing on the challenges of the South African education system. This submission involved efforts from both the social justice and legal departments in that interviews were conducted but the law was also relied on in terms of comparing it’s implementation to the script.

The Social Justice Department

TAC

PAHRO has recently formed a partnership with the Treatment Action Campaign (hereafter TAC). TAC is an organisation that advocates for increased access to HIV treatment, care and support services for people living with HIV and campaigns to reduce new HIV infections. TAC has held government accountable for health care service delivery in a groundbreaking case ; campaigned against official AIDS denial; challenged the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies to make treatment more affordable and cultivated community leadership on HIV and AIDS. PAHRO will be assisting TAC in the development, implementation and monitoring of workshops based on human rights issues and also develop and implement a study on the different types of abuse that take place in Khayelitsha, the largest township in Cape Town, and the impact that this has on the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Bonnytoun

Twice a week volunteers visit Bonnytoun House. Bonnytoun is a place of safety for boys who have either been charged with committing a crime and are awaiting their trial or, in a few cases, have already been convicted and are awaiting prison transfer. The boys are between 14 and 17 years old. PAHRO’s main objective is to educate the boys about their legal rights inside and outside the justice system; to prepare them for their eventual reintegration into society; to raise awareness of the rights of others in the community and to promote ways of adopting and maintaining a healthy, productive and active life. By providing the boys with the knowledge and skills for sustained positive self-development at a formative point in their life, PAHRO aims to create long-term dividends for these boys and the communities they may return to. The value of the program to PAHRO should also not be underestimated - a visit to Bonnytoun is an eye-opening experience for any volunteer.

St.Anne’s

We are currently working with St Anne’s Home four days a week. St. Anne’s serves as a refuge for disadvantaged and distressed women and their children. The organization is dedicated to providing shelter and support for pregnant, abused and homeless women with children. They provide a holistic self-empowerment program that develops social, personal, creative and vocational skills and a culture of mutual learning, accountability and respect for the unique value of every human being.

Projects Abroad has begun developing and presenting workshops at St. Anne’s. Our workshops focus on informing them about their legal rights (general rights, employment), developing their IT skills, enhancing their self esteem and discussing issues, such as domestic violence.

Triangle Project

Projects Abroad has partnered with Triangle Project, an organisation based in Cape Town which provides services and safe spaces to LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) people in the Western Cape. Two of our volunteers are convening and facilitating a panel discussion on Gender Based Violence and “Corrective Rape”. Corrective Rape is a method by which certain people, by means of rape, try to convert homo- or bisexual people to heterosexuality. During the panel discussion, leading researchers and academics will informally address an audience in Khayelitsha, the largest township in Cape Town.

Whole World Women’s Association

The Whole World Women Association (WWWA) is a small but dynamic not-for-profit organisation which works with refugee and asylum seeker communities in Cape Town, South Africa. WWWA was founded in 2002 as a self-help support group for refugee women in the Western Cape, with the purpose of empowering the women it worked with and restoring their dignity, self-esteem and quality of life. More recently, the organisation has evolved to embrace all members of the refugee and asylum seeker communities in Cape Town in light of the immense need suffered by all refugees.

Of particular importance is the WWWA HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign. Despite the fact that HIV/AIDS is prevalent across the entire African continent, most refugees and asylum seekers arriving in South Africa appear to be unaware of the fact that their new home has the highest rate of HIV infections in the world.

Each week the WWWA peer educators set out into the field to commence the crucial task of educating the refugee community about HIV/AIDS. The staff introduces the organisation, provide a brief explanation of the threat of HIV, and offer a four-day workshop which is run free of charge to educate everyone who is interested about HIV/AIDS. Staff also distribute information pamphlets and condoms to prevent the spread of HIV. On the field, WWWA Peer Educators must face anger and indignation from people who are morally offended by the offer of condoms and accuse them of promoting promiscuity, and the equally disheartening and draining situation of talking to a room of people who will not listen and do not care. A significant number of people do not believe that HIV exists, or refuse to accept that it concerns them because they claim to have a faithful relationship with their partner.

Lavender Hill

Lavender Hill is a town in the Cape Flats which includes an informal settlement community. This informal settlement suffers from high unemployment; HIV infection rates, crime, drug abuse, and violence- especially gender based, family, and child abuse. Projects Abroad works with the Philisa Abafazi Bethu Organization to provide numerous resources that are not available to the people of Lavender Hill, specifically those who are victims of crime and violence. One such initiative currently going on is a baseline survey conducted throughout the settlement to establish the current situation there and what needs must be addressed. Founder and director, Lucinda Evans has a passion for this organization that is palpable and infectious to volunteers. Working with Lavender Hill is a true demonstration of the daily frustrations and difficulties that people in these settlements live with and the need to provide help. We also offer legal services to abused women in terms of interpreting their final divorce orders; assisting with maintenance and other civil claims as well as protection orders.