NAIROBI, Kenya- Human rights bodies from Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia have warned of growing risks of human trafficking and exploitation along the Southern Migration Corridor, calling for stronger cross-border cooperation to protect migrants and trafficking survivors.
The warning is contained in a new Advisory Note on Strengthening a Human Rights-Based Response to Human Trafficking along the Southern Migration Corridor, developed by the four countries’ National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) following a regional technical meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from July 8 to 10, 2026.
The advisory describes human trafficking as one of the most pressing human rights and protection challenges facing people moving through the corridor, with migrants and other vulnerable groups exposed to trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, arbitrary detention, violence and, in some cases, death.
The NHRIs said existing laws and policies in countries along the corridor have not translated into consistent protection, pointing to weaknesses in victim identification, assistance services, cross-border coordination and data collection.
Trafficking victims treated as illegal migrants
One of the most serious concerns raised in the advisory is the failure to properly identify trafficking victims.
The report says people who have been trafficked are sometimes treated as irregular migrants and subsequently detained, prosecuted or deported under immigration laws instead of being recognised as victims entitled to protection and assistance.
The situation can leave vulnerable people trapped in a cycle of exploitation while also discouraging others from seeking help.
The NHRIs said language barriers, fear of retaliation, stigma, discrimination and mistrust of authorities can prevent victims from reporting abuses or cooperating with investigations.
They also identified a shortage of safe houses, psychosocial support, legal aid and long-term reintegration services as factors that deepen victims’ vulnerability.
The advisory further warns that victims can experience secondary victimisation during investigations and prosecutions, particularly where continued protection is linked to their willingness to testify.
Such conditions, the report says, can expose survivors to intimidation and re-traumatisation and may cause some to withdraw from justice processes.
Cross-border crime outpacing cooperation
The four institutions also raised concern about limited cooperation between countries along the migration corridor.
Investigations can become fragmented when trafficking networks operate across borders but law-enforcement agencies lack effective mechanisms for sharing information and coordinating investigations.
The advisory identifies inadequate cooperation among police, immigration officials, labour inspectors, social services, prosecutors, diplomatic missions and human rights institutions as another major weakness.
It also points to a lack of reliable, harmonised and disaggregated migration data, saying the gap makes it harder for governments to understand trafficking trends, develop evidence-based policies and monitor whether interventions are working.
According to the NHRIs, these gaps have consequences beyond individual trafficking cases. They contribute to violations of people’s rights to liberty, security and dignity, increase the vulnerability of women, children and other at-risk groups, and allow organised criminal networks to maintain cross-border trafficking routes.
The institutions also warned that poverty, exploitation and unsafe migration can reinforce one another, while migrants without civil documentation face additional risks, including possible statelessness and difficulty accessing essential services.
Call for stronger protection of victims
The advisory calls on national governments to move towards a victim-centred approach rather than treating trafficking primarily as an immigration or criminal justice issue.
Governments are urged to strengthen training and resources for police officers, prosecutors, judges, immigration officials, labour inspectors and frontline service providers so they can identify and respond to trafficking cases effectively.
The NHRIs also want governments to establish identification and referral systems that prevent trafficked people from being criminalised or detained for immigration-related offences.
They are further calling for stronger bilateral and multilateral cooperation on investigations, intelligence sharing, mutual legal assistance and victim protection.
The report recommends expanding access to legal aid, psychosocial support, shelters and long-term reintegration programmes for survivors.
It also calls for stronger measures to detect and address corruption within border management, immigration, documentation and law-enforcement systems where such corruption facilitates trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Poverty and unemployment identified as risk factors
The institutions are also urging governments to invest in community-based prevention programmes that address some of the conditions that make people vulnerable to trafficking.
These include poverty, unemployment, limited awareness and unsafe migration pathways.
The advisory says prevention should be accompanied by stronger migration data systems, public awareness campaigns and cooperation with diplomatic and consular authorities to assist nationals abroad, facilitate documentation and support family tracing and voluntary return where appropriate.
Push for regional early-warning system
At the regional level, the NHRIs want Regional Economic Communities to establish mechanisms for information sharing, victim referrals and coordinated investigations.
They are also calling for regional early-warning systems capable of identifying emerging migration trends, trafficking patterns and protection risks before they escalate.
The African Union has been urged to strengthen implementation of existing migration, human rights and anti-trafficking instruments.
The advisory also proposes consideration of a dedicated Special Rapporteur or Special Mechanism on Human Trafficking within the African human rights system.
The NHRIs are additionally recommending continental guidelines covering victim protection, rehabilitation, compensation and durable solutions, with survivors’ rights placed alongside criminal justice responses.
Development partners, meanwhile, are being asked to support institutional capacity-building, research and integrated data systems, public awareness campaigns, shelters, psychosocial services and survivor reintegration programmes.
The four human rights institutions conclude that human trafficking is fundamentally a transnational human rights challenge and cannot be effectively tackled through isolated national responses.
They are calling for governments and regional institutions to strengthen accountability while ensuring that the rights, dignity, protection and recovery of victims and survivors remain at the centre of migration governance.
