ZIMBABWE is experiencing an influx of asylum seekers and separated children of migrants who will be in transit from the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region.
This was said on Tuesday by Home Affairs secretary Aaron
Nhepera, who told delegates at the International Organisation for Migration
(IOM) conference in Victoria Falls that the migrants and asylum seekers coming
through Zimbabwe were running away from conflict and instability in their
countries, and posing a challenge in the country.
“Over the past two decades, however, the country has
largely become a source country for both regular and irregular migrants to
countries in the region such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia and to
countries further afield such as the United States of America, Australia and
New Zealand,” he said.
“Zimbabwe continues to face increasing challenges of
irregular migration flows involving particularly asylum seekers, unaccompanied
minors and separated migrant children from the horn of Africa and the Great
Lakes region who transit through Zimbabwe, quite often, to South Africa or who
seek asylum in Zimbabwe due to conflicts and instability in their home
countries.
“As a result, the government recognises the importance of a
coherent policy response to address the challenges related to these mixed
migration flows.”
Nhepera said government also recognised the immense
opportunities presented by a growing diaspora population in the social and
economic development of the country in terms of investment in areas of
agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, banking and finance and others.
He said government had developed a National Diaspora Policy
and a National Labour Migration Policy to address migration challenges.
“This workshop to finalise the development of the National
Migration Policy comes at an opportune time when the government is intensifying
implementation of migration policies for sustainable development in line with
the Global Compact on Safe Orderly and regular migration,” Nhepera said.
“The attainment of sustainable development goals will go a
long way towards improving migration management and attest to the government’s
commitment towards ensuring respect for migrant rights in Zimbabwe.”
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