Self-settlement is not a new concept but has been emerging over the past decade. Academic literature has varied on its definition and has often caused confusion. It has previously been related to ‘spontaneous’ settlement, undocumented migrants, IDP migration and has been blurred amongst the vast literature on local integration. Self-settlement in the context of this research concurs with later academic literature (Bakewell, Hovil, and Polzer) where refugees have greater freedom of movement and may or may not be officially registered. This research refers to refugees who have been externally displaced as a result of conflict and settle outside refugee camps and formal settlements. They negotiate the terms of their settlement directly with host communities who dictate the rate of integration and subsequent access to resources. The Gambia has hosted Casamance refugees fleeing from low-level civil conflict in Southern region of Senegal for nearly 30 years. It is West Africa’s longest running civil conflict. Official registration figures (although ambiguous) estimate 11,000 Casamance refugees are permanently located within 56 rural Gambian communities (WFP 2012). In this context, international legalities are clearly set out as in any other refugee situation. Casamance refugees have taken flight across an international border and until they are able to return they have been granted refugee status and protection in The Gambia under the 1951 Geneva Convention. However, the parameters of refugee terminology is thus confused as refugees are self-settled in host communities instead of formally settled within refugee camps. Refugee literature tends to investigate the impact of camp-based refugees have on local communities. Rarely does this literature investigate local integration through the solution of self-settlement. In addition, the historical, cultural, socio-economic and ethnic ties between The Gambia and Senegal has caused repeated mobilisation across the international border, prior to the conflict and colonialism, and this is further facilitated as the conflict escalates and subsides. As a result of increased demographic pressures, there is increased competition for community resources such as land, ii shelter, water, and natural resources which affect the sustainability of existing livelihood strategies. Adopting the capital assets model from the Sustainable Rural Livelihood Framework, a conceptual framework was devised to understand the integration of Casamance refugees and how they are able to access community resources. As a result, six villages were subject to environmental, socio-economic and livelihood assessments using an extensive multi-method approach over a two phase fieldwork period. This was to understand the impacts of integration, the challenges communities face, and how communities access resources to implement livelihoods. The results from this study indicate that there is relatively equal availability of resources for both groups. However there is differential access to resources, which is based on traditional community structures and the shared cultural heritage between host and refugee. Results also highlighted that tensions did exist between groups as a result of integration and access to resources but these were not necessarily primarily between host and refugee groups and also existed within groups. These tensions however, have been adequately mediated and resolved as a result of the traditional community structures in place within these communities. The thesis presents three themes of discussion from the results of this case study. Firstly, the theme of self-settlement will be revisited and argued that it can be considered a temporary and durable solution in refugee situations given an understanding of traditional community structures and common characteristics shared between host and refugee groups. Secondly, it re-engages with the SRL Framework and adapts the capital asset model for self-settled refugee situations. Finally, self-settlement will be considered in relation to various levels of policy and how it can be adapted in order to understand self-settlement and meet the demands of both host and refugee groups.

"As will be seen, the OAU Refugee Convention contains many provisions which, if not properly construed, might lead to a great curtailment of refugees' political rights. Yet the right to participate in the government of one's country is guaranteed by a number of international human rights isntruments. In any case, when people are forced to leave their country of origin, it is simply natural for them to seek the means whereby they could go back to their country of origin. ... Besides, not only voluntary repatriation is generally regarded as the most desirable solution to the refugee problem, but also it has been observed that a successful return is dependent upon the political conditions in the country of origin. It will be argued that refugees should be allowed and assisted to play a proactive role in order to create a political environment propitious to their return. ... The first chapter is a presentation of the study, its background, the research questions, the literature review, the methodology and the limitations to the study. The second chapter deals with the problems related to the refugee status and international protection. It is a presentation of the big picture of international refugee protection, with a focus on Africa. From an African point of view, it looks at the definition of the term refugee, the refugee status and the available protection mechanisms. The third chapter discusses the traditional durable solutions to the refugee problem, as well as the new approaches in refugee protection. It discusses the availablility, effectiveness and shortcomings of traditional solutions, and highlights repatriation as the most suitable solution to the refugee problem. The fourth chapter is a reflection on the right to repatriation and the extent to which political participation of refugees can be used to realise that right. This chapter examines the legal foundation of the right to return, the significance of political participation to that right, highlights the major obstacles to political participation of refugees, and puts forward ideas that might serve as guidelines for enhanced participation of refugees in the political life of their country of origin. The last chapter is a summary presentation of the conclusions and recommendations drawn from this study." -- Introduction. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2006. / Prepared under the supervision of Prof. T.P. van Reenen at the Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

Most scholars claim that international human rights norms embodied in formal international declarations and treaties have an important impact on domestic political interests and governmental practices. This reasoning about the impact of global human rights is often applied to the post-apartheid South African immigration and refugee policies. While I acknowledge that the ratification of United Nations Conventions on refugees has altered the traditional sovereignty considerations of South Africa towards asylum seekers, I take issue with the claims that South African refugee and asylum policies are primarily motivated and based on humanitarian considerations. Instead, I argue that these policies are based on sovereign considerations and strategic foreign policy interests. As a result this sovereign interests of South Africa to study has sought to demonstrate that largely explain decisions on the part accept or reject refugees. Although norms diffusion, international advocacy networks, and prestige factors have made a big impact, in practice the refugee policy has continued to reflect South Africa's strategic interests and domestic considerations at all levels. However, I have not argued that South Africa should overlook its national and foreign interests and abide by international human rights norms regardless of the cost of doing so. I have only sought to demonstrate that refugee protection is more when powerful national interests find it conducive to manage the destabilizing refugee flows.

Worldwide the experiences of refugees on place and their integration into host countries are understood differently. This study seeks to understand how asylum seekers and refugees found a place and settled in South Africa cities. The study focuses on asylum seekers and refugees, not on economic immigrants. By using a qualitative case study approach, the research has been able to explore how Great Lakes region refugees, living in the eThekwini Metropolitan Area, negotiate their place in the city and to what extent they are and they can be integrated into the eThekwini municipal IDP (Integrated Development Planning). The study explores their life experiences of place, social exclusion, social networks and views on their integration. Refugees and key stakeholders in Durban Metropolitan were interviewed and conclusions are drawn from their responses and the literature consulted. The eThekwini Metropolitan inner-city area was chosen as the focus of the research because the majority of Great Lake region refugees are living and working in this area (personal life experience - the researcher, 2010). Nineteen refugees (including three community leaders), and ten stakeholders were chosen and interviewed by using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Interviews were conducted by using in-depth interviews while data was analyzed using the interpretative-descriptive research approach. A multicultural theory is used as the main approach to understand and to guide this study. Therefore some of the findings emanating from this study will add to the understanding of how to deal with the complexity of our urban spaces and provide challenges and opportunities which planning needs to understand and engage within the response of refugee communities in South African cities. This includes installation of refugee reception centres at the point of entry, refugees' integration of municipal policies, and efficient implementation of the existing South African refugee policies. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The purpose of this study was to examine involvement of African refugee parents in the education of their elementary school children. The setting of the study was Northern and Southern Texas. African refugee parents and their children's teachers completed written surveys and also participated in interviews. In the study's mixed-method design, quantitative measures provided data about parent involvement at home, parent involvement at school, frequency of parent-teacher contact, quality of parent-teacher relationship, parent endorsement of children's schools, and barriers to parent involvement. Qualitative data from the open-ended questions provided data on barriers and strategies to improve involvement. Sixty-one African refugee parents responded to the survey and also participated in an in-depth face-to-face or telephone interview. Twenty teacher participants responded to an online survey. Quantitative data gathered from the parent and teacher surveys were analyzed using frequency distributions and analyses of variance. Qualitative data were analyzed by summarizing and sorting information into different categories using Weft QDA, an open-source qualitative analysis software. From these data, I identified barriers to African refugee parent involvement in their children's schools, as well as challenges that teachers face as they try to involve African refugee parents. Results of analyses of variance revealed statistically significant differences in parent involvement between African refugee parents with limited English proficiency and those with high English proficiency. A key finding of the research was that, whereas the overall level of parent involvement for African refugee parents was low, a major barrier to involvement was language. Teachers and parents cited enrolment in English as a second language programs as the best strategy to enhance parent involvement of African refugees. Additionally, parents who reported higher education levels were more involved in their children's education both at home and at school. All groups of African refugee parents reported high endorsement of their children's school. Strategies suggested to improve involvement include the use of interpreters and parent education on importance of involvement.

The main objective of this study is to investigate the practical treatment of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees (UMR) in Ghana and South Africa, and to explore whether such treatment is in accordance with existing international norms and standards for the protection of refugee children. The study will focus on the realisation of children’s socio-economic rights in order to measure treatment. This study also seeks to address the obstacles which prevent the full and proper treatment of UMR, and to make recommendations as to how the international community can better regulate the treatment of UMR. In essence, this paper aims to investigate whether there is a discrepancy between the rights of child refugees acknowledged in international law and the situation of UMR in practice, and, if so, how this can be remedied. This paper seeks to show, through the case studies of Ghana and South Africa, that UMR are, to a certain extent, lost in the system / A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Mr E.Y. Benneh of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM