Xenophobia: A crime against humanity and its attendant implications on human rights

Abstract

Migrants across the globe often experience discrimination, exploitation and human rights violations such as xenophobic attacks. Xenophobic attacks have left thousands of foreigners dead and injured with their properties destroyed as well. This paper examines the various human rights violations perpetrated by xenophobes on migrants. It discusses xenophobia, its forms, basis and world cases. It explores xenophobia as a crime against humanity and the duty of states in protecting migrants. It highlights the various migrants’ rights instruments and in conclusion, it puts forward amongst other recommendations that the provisions of Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court should be enlarged to provide for xenophobia as a crime against humanity.

Keywords: Xenophobia, Duty of State, Crime against Humanity, Migrants, Rights, Aliens