‘Kenya and three African nations call for stronger action against trafficking along migration corridor’ 1 September 2026

Kenya and three other African countries have called for stronger regional action to combat human trafficking along the Southern Migration Corridor, warning that weak victim identification systems, limited support services and poor cross-border cooperation continue to expose thousands of migrants and other vulnerable people to exploitation and serious human rights abuses. In an Advisory Note released on Tuesday, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa said that although laws and policies exist to address human trafficking and migrant smuggling, their implementation remains uneven and fragmented.

The institutions said the corridor, which links countries of origin, transit and destination, continues to expose migrants and other vulnerable people to trafficking, death, forced labour, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, arbitrary detention, violence and other serious abuses. "Although States along the corridor have adopted legislative and policy frameworks to address trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling, implementation remains uneven and fragmented. Weak victim identification systems, insufficient protection and assistance services, limited cross-border coordination, inadequate data systems, and low public awareness continue to undermine effective prevention, accountability, access to justice and the protection of victims and survivors," the rights groups said.

…Development partners were also urged to provide technical and financial support for institutional capacity-building, research, data systems, awareness campaigns, shelters, psychosocial services and survivor reintegration programmes. The NHRIs said human trafficking cannot be tackled through isolated national efforts because it is a complex, cross-border human rights challenge. They called on governments, Regional Economic Communities, the African Union, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to intensify efforts to prevent trafficking, strengthen protection systems, improve access to justice and address the conditions that make people vulnerable to exploitation.