The Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR), alongside human rights bodies from Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zambia, has raised alarms over the escalating risks faced by migrants on the Southern migration route, including abuse, exploitation, and death due to inadequate protection systems.

• These organizations marked International Migrants Day on December 18, 2025, highlighting that conflict, climate change, and limited economic opportunities are driving increased migration, while strict border controls force migrants onto dangerous irregular routes.
• The National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) emphasized that migration in the region is complex, blurring lines between asylum seekers, smuggled migrants, and trafficking victims, and that viewing migration primarily as a security issue exacerbates migrants' plights.
• They called on governments to adopt rights-based approaches, ratify and implement the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and expand gender-responsive, child-centered, and disability-inclusive bilateral and multilateral labor agreements.