What is the law reader, and its uses

The law reader is to be a comprehensive online tool that provides extensive country by country analysis of the law, policy, and practice related to asylum and refugee protection. It includes a thematic reference and analysis of legislation and case law on access to asylum, right of appeal, validity of documentation, and average time for processing asylum claims. It will allow users to quickly understand the legal and administrative system in place in each country. The law reader will cover all SADC Member States.

The law reader will detail how each Member State grants asylum, determines refugee status, protects refugees, and provides durable solutions. It will allow users to select a country, review its laws and practices under specific themes and subthemes, and instantly compare all Members' laws and practices using a comparative tool. The information will be split into nine themes and then further divided into relevant subthemes to capture further details across different countries with different contexts and legal systems and enable comparability. The nine thematic areas are the populations of concern; legal framework instruments; managing border and regulating entry of asylum seekers, including non refoulment; receptionand treatment of asylum seekers; refugee status determination; detention; rights of refugees; managing massive influxes and emergencies; and durable solutions.

Why a law reader?

For the first time in the region, the law reader will provide free and accessible, user-friendly information that highlights legislative systems and, where possible, implementation. The law reader will be an essential tool for different audiences. It will inform the Member States of best practices in the region and assist government officials and decision-makers in law reform and drafting new procedures. It will support civil society organizations and lawyers helping refugees and asylum seekers, inform researchers, academics, and students about asylum and refugee protection, and provide refugees and asylum-seekers access to information about their rights,  entitlements, and obligations.

The SADC law reader will be the first online database to bring together a comprehensive and accessible comparative analysis of Southern African countries' efforts to grant asylum and protect refugees.