PRETORIA: South African police have evicted more than a hundred asylum seekers camping for over three years outside the UN High Commissioner for Refugees offices in Pretoria.
The scores of asylum-seekers began living in makeshift tents pitched outside the UNHCR offices asking to be relocated to other countries after a spate of xenophobic violence in 2019.
Pretoria municipality last week secured a high court order to remove them.
The court documents state that the refugees will be evicted and taken to the Lindela Repatriation Center, a temporary holding center for undocumented migrants who are earmarked for deportation to their countries or origin.
Scores of police officers led by the sheriff’s department carried out the eviction with the aid of immigration and other officers.
Using a loudhailer, state attorney Kobus Meijer warned the migrants that they “will be arrested” and “detained” if they resisted removal.
Some families vacated voluntarily while others protested.
“It’s better for me to die here” because “I am not going in Lindela” one refugee shouted.
The visibly distressed woman, with a dressing gown wrapped around her waist, is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
UNHCR spokeswoman Laura Padoan said that “they are asking that we transport them to a refugee camp in another country but this is outside of our mandate.”
The UNHCR urged the evicting authorities to do so “peacefully and that families are treated humanely, with dignity and respect,” said Padoan.
South Africa boasts some of the world’s most progressive asylum policies, allowing foreigners to apply for refugee status and work.
But rights groups say the application system is flawed and backlogged, leaving many asylum-seekers stuck in limbo for years.
As the continent’s most industrialized economy, South Africa is also a magnet for economic migrants — a situation that has stoked resentment among jobless South Africans and fueled sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence.
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South Africa evicts asylum-seekers camped outside UN refugee office
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South Africa evicts asylum-seekers camped outside UN refugee office
- Court documents state that the refugees will be evicted and taken to the Lindela Repatriation Center, a temporary holding center for undocumented migrants
Modi ally proposes social media ban for India’s teens as global debate grows
- India is the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users
- South Asian nation is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access
NEW DELHI: An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world’s biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people’s health and safety.
“Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticized by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction.”
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill — not proposed to parliament by a federal minister — but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
“Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticized by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction.”
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill — not proposed to parliament by a federal minister — but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
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