Lesotho is fully surrounded by the Republic of South Africa and has fourteen (14) official border control posts (BCP) which includes eight (8) automated and six (6) non-automated BCPs. It has been a country of origin, country of transit, and country of destination concerning the Trafficking in Person (TiP) over the years. According to Ministry of Home Affairs and other stakeholders, there is limited or no training on how to identify, detect suspicious trafficking/smuggling cases to frontline immigration officials, and trafficking takes place through both official and unofficial borders.
To address the situation, IOM implemented a pilot project in the targeted areas in Mafeteng and Qacha’s Nek Districts in Lesotho and their cross-border counterparts (local authorities and communities) in South Africa. These districts are characterised by inadequate border management, conflicts, criminal violence, and illicit flow of weapons across the borders, cattle rustling, and increased citizen insecurity. The aim of the project was to strengthen border management and promote counter trafficking activities among the border communities. Qualitative evaluation