On 19 June 2019, one day before World Refugee Day, the Western Cape High Court handed down judgment in a case brought by the University of Cape Town’s Refugee Rights Unit on behalf of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, which sought to improve the lives of thousands of asylum-seeking families across South Africa. The order, which was made after successful negotiations with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA/The Department) means that wives, husbands, children and other dependents of asylum-seekers and refugees are now able to document themselves in South Africa as ‘dependents’ of the principle asylum applicant in a process commonly known as ‘family-joining’. This aspect of the Refugee Act – outlined at section 3(c) – means that refugee families can be documented together, ensuring their rights to family unity and dignity in South Africa. The order confirms a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that had been agreed on by the applicants and DHA. The SOPs allow for refugees to apply to be documented (either through family joining or on their own grounds) upon provision of certain documents, where possible, such as a marriage certificate or birth certificate or affidavit (in the absence of such documents) – regardless of where the marriage or birth took place. Family joining can now also be completed regardless of whether the dependents in question were included in the applicant’s original asylum application or not. The SOPs also provide for DNA testing as a measure of last resort to confirm the validity of parents’ claim over their child. These changes mean that asylum-seeking and refugee families can now fulfil their right to access documentation in South Africa. Kelley Moult spoke to Sally Gandar, the Head of Advocacy and Legal Advisor for the Scalabrini Centre, and Popo Mfubu, an attorney at the Refugee Rights Unit, about the ground-breaking case.

中文翻译：

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在记录上：萨莉·甘达（Sally Gandar）和波波·姆富布（Popo Mfubu）

2019年6月19日，即世界难民日的前一天，西开普高等法院对开普敦大学难民权利股代表开普敦Scalabrini中心提起的一案作出判决，该判决旨在改善开普敦的生活。南非有成千上万的寻求庇护家庭。该命令是在与内政部（DHA / Department）成功谈判之后做出的，这意味着寻求庇护者和难民的妻子，丈夫，儿童和其他家属现在可以在南非证明自己为“家属”。庇护的主要申请人的申请过程，通常称为“入户”。《难民法》的这一方面（在第3（c）节中概述）意味着可以将难民家庭一并记录在案，以确保他们在南非的家庭团聚和尊严的权利。该订单确认了申请人和DHA商定的一套标准操作程序（SOP）。SOP允许难民在可能的情况下提供某些文件（通过结婚证明，出生证明或誓章（在没有此类文件的情况下）），以书面形式记录难民身份（通过家庭聚会或基于自己的理由）。结婚或分娩的地点。现在，无论所涉亲属是否包括在申请人的原始庇护申请中，都可以完成家庭联结。SOP还提供了DNA测试，以作为最后手段，以确认父母对其子女的主张的有效性。这些变化意味着寻求庇护者和难民家庭现在可以履行其获得南非证件的权利。