Both forced and voluntary migrants face a myriad of challenges, including exploitation during transit or in their destination spaces, coupled with hostility in the receiving communities. This hostility often manifests in Afrophobic attacks, commonly known as xenophobic attacks, and inhumane treatment within government institutions such as hospitals, schools, refugee centers, and detention or deportation facilities.

Among the persistent challenges are the victimization of women and children during transit, prolonged processing times for asylum seeker permits and refugee status approvals, and strained relations between countries that are unwilling to adopt more human rights-based migration laws and policies.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) organized its inaugural workshop on the free movement of people in 1993. Despite this initiative, various SADC member states continue to witness situations compelling their citizens to cross borders as undocumented migrants. The dream of the free movement of people within SADC and Africa as a whole remains elusive.

The participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the recently adopted Global Compact on Migration underscores the pivotal role that civil society can and must play in addressing migration issues comprehensively. Refugees and migrants have consistently been vulnerable within most communities, a vulnerability exacerbated by the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for increased advocacy to safeguard the rights and interests of refugees and migrants at a global level.