Socio-economic services for addressing effects of xenophobic attacks on migrant and refugee entrepreneurs in South Africa : a multi-sectoral perspective

Abstract

Despite the presence of strong international and regional instruments for protecting human rights and promoting social justice, migrant and refugee populations continue to experience gross human rights violations. Xenophobic attacks are a global phenomenon that have left foreigners and refugees vulnerable. This article uses a multi-sectoral perspective to explore the socio-economic services to address the effects of xenophobic attacks on refugee entrepreneurs in South Africa. A snowball sampling technique was used to select 10 participants for the study. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The findings revealed that multi-sectoral services should be provided to refugee entrepreneurs who are victims of xenophobic attacks. The paper also discusses the role of the government in providing aid and security, the role of social workers and civil society in facilitating community support, spiritual support, and support from fellow refugees, geared towards minimising the effects of xenophobic attacks. The conclusion is that social workers should coordinate relief programmes between the government and other service providers in the aftermath of xenophobic attacks. It recommends multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary interventions to address the aftermath of the xenophobic attacks.