Kenya’s National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) has joined regional human rights bodies from Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zambia in warning that migrants using the Southern migration route face increasing risks of abuse, exploitation, and even death due to weak protection systems across the region.
In celebrating International Migrants Day on December 18, 2025, the four human rights bodies referred to countries in the Southern corridor as points of origin, transit, and destination for both regular and irregular migration.
The commissions noted that tough times caused by conflict, climate change, and fewer economic opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa were forcing more people to migrate. However, strict border controls and limited legal migration pathways were forcing migrants to use more dangerous routes.
The statement notes that migrants moving across borders through irregular routes are exposed to significant protection challenges, including the risk of human rights abuses.
The National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) of states in the southern migratory route warned that migration in the region had become increasingly complex, with blurred lines between asylum seekers, smuggled migrants, and victims of trafficking.
The rights groups said the growing emphasis on treating migration as a security issue has prioritised border enforcement over the protection of human rights, ultimately aggravating the plight of migrants instead of tackling the underlying drivers of migration.
Referring to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration as an important guiding framework, the NHRIs recognised continued initiatives by international and regional stakeholders to integrate human rights considerations into migration governance.
In the statement, the rights bodies tasked the national human rights institutions with the responsibilities of monitoring abuses, documenting violations, and advising governments on matters of human rights.
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To address the challenges, the commissions agreed to work together to improve dialogue and coordination on migrant protection among countries of origin, transit, and destination along the Southern corridor.
In addition, the rights organizations agreed to engage with migrants to understand their experiences and violations.
Moreover, the bodies called on national governments to adopt rights-based approaches to migration, ratify and implement the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
They further urged African states to expand bilateral and multilateral labour agreements that are gender-responsive, child-centered, and disability-inclusive, while upholding human rights for all within their borders.
