NAIROBI, Kenya- Corruption within border management, immigration, documentation and law-enforcement systems could be creating opportunities for human traffickers and migrant smugglers to move vulnerable people across borders, four African human rights institutions have warned.
The warning is contained in an advisory note developed by the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) of Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia following a regional meeting on migration and human rights held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 2026.
The institutions are calling for stronger measures to prevent, detect and punish corruption in systems responsible for managing migration and borders, saying gaps that facilitate trafficking and smuggling need to be identified and disrupted through transparent oversight and accountability mechanisms.
Border systems under scrutiny
The advisory identifies human trafficking as a major human rights and protection challenge along the Southern Migration Corridor, exposing migrants and other vulnerable people to forced labour, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, arbitrary detention, violence and other abuses.
Although countries along the corridor have laws and policies addressing trafficking and migrant smuggling, the NHRIs say implementation remains uneven.
They point to weak victim identification systems, limited protection services, inadequate data and poor coordination between countries as some of the gaps undermining efforts to combat trafficking.
The advisory specifically calls for governments to strengthen measures targeting corruption within border management, immigration, documentation and law enforcement.
The institutions say such systems should have transparent mechanisms capable of identifying, disrupting and sanctioning practices that facilitate trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Victims can become immigration offenders
The report also highlights what happens when trafficking victims are not properly identified.
According to the NHRIs, inadequate victim-identification mechanisms can result in trafficked people being treated as irregular migrants. Some may consequently face detention, prosecution or deportation under immigration laws instead of being recognised as victims entitled to protection and assistance.
The institutions say language barriers, fear of retaliation, stigma, discrimination and mistrust of authorities can further discourage victims from reporting abuse or cooperating with investigations.
They also warn that some victims experience secondary victimisation during investigations and prosecutions, with protection in some cases tied to their willingness to act as witnesses. This can expose survivors to intimidation and re-traumatisation and discourage them from pursuing justice.
Weak cross-border cooperation
The advisory says trafficking networks operate across borders, yet cooperation between countries remains limited.
Investigations can become fragmented, while victim referrals and information sharing between states remain inconsistent. The institutions also cite inadequate coordination among police, immigration authorities, labour inspectors, prosecutors, social services, diplomatic missions and human rights bodies.
The four NHRIs want countries to improve intelligence sharing, mutual legal assistance and coordinated investigations while establishing stronger mechanisms for referring and protecting trafficking victims across borders.
They are also calling for reliable and harmonised migration data to help authorities identify trafficking trends and develop targeted responses.
Call to protect victims
The advisory recommends that governments adopt victim-centred identification and referral systems designed to prevent trafficked people from being criminalised or detained for immigration offences.
It also calls for greater access to legal aid, shelters, psychosocial support and long-term reintegration programmes for survivors.
The institutions say governments should strengthen training for police, prosecutors, judges, immigration officials, labour inspectors and other frontline workers so they can identify and respond to trafficking cases more effectively.
They further recommend community-based programmes addressing poverty, unemployment, lack of awareness and unsafe migration pathways, which they identify as factors increasing vulnerability to trafficking.
Push for regional action
The NHRIs argue that human trafficking cannot be tackled through isolated national interventions because criminal networks and migration routes cross national boundaries.
They are calling for regional information-sharing and victim-referral mechanisms, coordinated investigations and early-warning systems capable of identifying emerging trafficking patterns and protection risks.
The African Union has also been urged to strengthen implementation of existing migration, human rights and anti-trafficking instruments and consider establishing a dedicated Special Rapporteur or Special Mechanism on Human Trafficking within the African human rights system.
