Pilot Study on the Southern Migration Route and Access to Protection Services

The Southern Route, one of the significant migration pathways from the Horn of Africa that first emerged in the mid-1990s, sees thousands of primarily young men embarking on perilous journeys each year. These migrants transit multiple countries, majority migrants endure perilous overland journeys characterized by severe physical conditions, including lack of food, water, and medical care. The routes are fraught with risks of abuse by smugglers, kidnapping, and imprisonment.

This report maps the migration dynamics and access to protection services of migrants along the Southern Route, from the Horn of Africa, through Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the protection risks migrants face and their limited access to services during transit.