Protest by Cape refugees attempts to draw international eyes to their struggles

Cape Town - A peaceful but not so silent protest by the refugees at the Central Methodist Church in central Cape Town attempted to bring international attention during the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva and International Migrants Day.

Hundreds of refugees gathered around the church holding their banners and singing their hymns. The so-called movement aims to change refugees’ situations in countries like South Africa, according to their leader Jean Pierre Balous. After almost three months since they left their homes in the suburbs around Cape Town, the group believed that only international NGOs and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) could help them now.

At the same time, in Geneva, over 30 organisations including multinationals, law firms, private foundations, small and medium enterprises, coalitions and investment networks, have come forward with pledges worth more than $250 million (R3.5bn), according to the UNHCR. “As old conflicts continue and new ones erupt, displacing millions of people, we need smart, inspiring, engaging and inclusive ways of helping refugees and host communities, and we can all play a role,” said the UNHRC’s, Filippo Grandi.

Group of refugees staying at the central Methodist church during a peaceful protest on International Migrants Day. The protest is also to bring attention to what they are going through during the Geneva Refugee Summit. Pictures: Brendan Magaar/African News Agency(ANA)

As the World Migration Report 2020 launched last month by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) shows, it’s estimated that there were around 272 million migrants in the world in 2019, and 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced during 2018, therefore, became migrants by force, according to the UNHCR. This is the highest number of both migrated and forcibly displaced people o * record.

South Africa is the 15th top destination for migrants of all kinds and the most significant destination country in Africa, however, this group only represents 7.2% of the total population, which is way lower than in other countries like Qatar (78.7%), Singapore (37.1%), Canada (21.3%) or Sweden (20.0%).