Western Cape High Court Declares Provisions of Refugees Act Unconstitutional
The Western Cape High Court has delivered a groundbreaking judgment, declaring key provisions of the Refugees Act and its regulations unconstitutional. The ruling, brought by the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town and Lawyers for Human Rights, challenges policies that denied asylum seekers access to the system, leading to their arrest and deportation without due process. Key findings include the invalidation of provisions that excluded individuals on procedural grounds and regulations that barred most new asylum seekers...
Atlas of African Migration: Mapping Migration Patterns, Trends & Realities Across Africa
On May 7, 2025, the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa launched a one-of-a-kind project titled “The Atlas for African Migration”. The atlas provides comprehensive migration profiles of African countries. The project is realised through a rigorous desktop research process drawing from credible sources, including government reports, journal publications, and other online databases. The various data sources reveal patterns, trends, drivers, and correlations. The project is designed to provide the migration profiles of all the recognised 54...
A New Era for the Catholic Church
On 8 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, greeted by a jubilant crowd in St. Peter’s Square. Dressed in white and red, his words as pope resonated across the plaza: “God loves us, all of us. Evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward.”
SIHMA Press Review for April 2025
SIHMA Press review - World 03 May 2025 The Guardian Labour targets international students claiming asylum after election losses to the Reform The UK government is preparing new immigration reforms to curb asylum claims from international students, following political pressure after Labour’s losses to Reform in local elections. The proposal includes restricting students from taking low-paid jobs post-graduation, though universities and education officials...
Feminization of Migration: Guest Lecture Presentation
On the 16th of April 2025 the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility’s Head of Research, Dr Rachel Chinyakata delivered a lecture at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The lecture was organized by the Department of Women and Gender Studies at UWC as part of their Gender and Development module for third-year students. The lecture specifically focused on Gender, inequality and development zoning into the position of women in the global economy. A discussion of...
Message from the General Administration: Pope Francis, shepherd of mercy: a legacy that illuminates the path of the Church
The news of the passing of our beloved Holy Father Pope Francis leaves us deeply saddened, but our faith in the Resurrection comforts us. "Life does not end with death, and Christian hope is a gift that urges us to move forward," he wrote in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti. With him, the Church experienced a season of profound renewal, founded on mercy, closeness to the least among us, attention to God's creation and universal brotherhood, on an unceasing dialogue...
