Intentional charity Oxfam has urged world leaders to pledge to #standasone with refugees denied access to the US resettlement programme.
And this week‚ their South African affiliate‚ Oxfam SA‚ wrote to Zuma urging him to publicly condemn the US president’s executive order that will prevent thousands of refugees and migrants‚ many of them African‚ from finding safety in the USA.
The order has also barred citizens of Iran‚ Iraq‚ Libya‚ Somalia‚ Sudan‚ Syria and Yemen entry to America. Oxfam has called on the order to be rescinded
Isaac Mangena‚ Oxfam SA spokesman‚ said the organisation had not as yet received an acknowledgement or a response‚ but the pressure on the US government will continue.
“Currently we are planning to join with other civil society organisations and come up with a programme. This will probably include pickets outside the US embassy and all international airports‚ » he said.
Oxfam launched its Stand As One campaign in June last year to challenge the public worldwide to stand in solidarity with people forced to flee‚ and to pressure governments around the globe to do more to assist refugees.
In a statement‚ Oxfam SA has called for collective action and for “responsibility sharing‚ for respect for refugee rights and for the right to flee conflict countries are under serious threat
“We also urge South Africa to use its influence and presence at multilateral bodies such as the United Nations‚ to call for action against the US government.”
Oxfam South Africa is the first African affiliate of Oxfam International.
There are 65.3 million people forcibly displaced worldwide. South Africa currently hosts about 1‚217‚708 refugees and migrants.
