A Foreword from Weavers of Hope APS
At Weavers of Hope APS, our work is rooted in the stories of resilience and courage we encounter every day. We support survivors of sex trafficking in Italy, women whose journeys reveal the profound impact of global forces on individual lives.
The International Organization for Migration’s World Migration Report 2024 provides an essential lens through which we can understand these forces. It describes a world in constant movement, where migration reflects both human aspiration and the deep inequalities that traffickers exploit with devastating precision.This report is more than a collection of statistics. It is a call to build safer and more humane migration systems. For the survivors we serve and for countless others still trapped in cycles of exploitation this global perspective is crucial. It helps us advocate for systemic change, challenge misconceptions, and work toward a future where dignity and opportunity are accessible to all.
A World in Motion Yet Deeply Divided
According to the World Migration Report 2024, an estimated 281 million people live outside their country of birth, representing about 3.6% of the world’s population. But the numbers reveal another reality as well. By the end of 2022, 117 million people were forcibly displaced due to conflict, violence, and environmental disasters. One of the report’s most important insights is the concept of “mobility inequality.”
Migration can drive economic growth and human development. Global remittances sent by migrants have increased dramatically since 2000, supporting millions of families around the world. However, the benefits of migration are unevenly distributed. People from wealthier countries often move freely and safely. Meanwhile, individuals from low-income countries face strict visa regimes and limited legal pathways. As a result, many are pushed toward dangerous and irregular migration routes, where they become highly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking.
The report therefore urges a shift in perspective from focusing on national security to prioritizing the human security of migrants.
Why People Move: Three Powerful Drivers
Migration is rarely a simple personal choice. For many people, it is a response to multiple overlapping crises.
Conflict and Violence
War and persecution remain some of the most powerful drivers of forced displacement. In parts of West and Central Africa, prolonged violence such as insurgencies involving Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province has created large populations of refugees and internally displaced people. Women and girls in these contexts are especially vulnerable. They face heightened risks of abduction, sexual violence, forced marriage, and trafficking.
Economic Inequality
Economic disparities between regions also play a major role. In Sub-Saharan Africa, hundreds of millions of people still live in extreme poverty. Limited job opportunities, unstable economies, and lack of access to education push many to seek survival and opportunity abroad. Migration becomes not simply a hope for a better future but often a necessity.
Climate Change
Environmental change is increasingly becoming a “threat multiplier.” For example, the dramatic shrinking of Lake Chad which has lost around 90% of its surface area since the 1960s has devastated fishing and agricultural livelihoods for millions of people.
Across Africa, prolonged droughts, coastal erosion, and food insecurity are forcing communities to leave their homes. Displacement often leads people into precarious urban environments or dangerous migration routes where trafficking networks operate.
The Misunderstood Reality of Migration
A common misconception in public debates is that most migration from Africa is directed toward Europe. In reality, the majority of African migration happens within Africa itself, with people fleeing conflict or hardship often seeking refuge in neighboring countries rather than crossing continents.
According to UNHCR Across the East and Horn of Africa, millions of displaced people are hosted by countries within the region. By the end of 2024, the region hosted approximately 5.6 million refugees and asylum seekers, alongside more than 20 million internally displaced persons. The largest refugee hosting countries in the region include Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya.
Uganda: One of the World’s Largest Refugee Hosts
Uganda has become one of the most important refugee-hosting countries globally. The country hosts around 1.8 million refugees and asylum seekers, making it the largest refugee-hosting nation in Africa and among the largest worldwide.
Most refugees in Uganda come from neighboring countries affected by conflict, particularly, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These populations often settle in large refugee settlements such as Bidi Bidi, one of the largest refugee settlements in the world. The presence of such large populations illustrates how displacement in Africa is primarily regional rather than intercontinental.
Kenya: Major Refugee Camps Hosting Regional Displacement
Kenya also hosts a substantial refugee population. As of early 2024, the country had over 767,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. The majority come from nearby countries including Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia.
Approximately 87% of these refugees live in camps, particularly the large complexes of Dadaab Refugee Complex and Kakuma Refugee Camp, which together host hundreds of thousands of displaced people. These camps have become long-term communities where refugees often remain for years or even decades, highlighting the protracted nature of displacement in the region.
Regional Responsibility for Displacement
These examples reflect a broader pattern: countries in the Global South often with limited resources host the vast majority of displaced people. African countries in particular carry a significant share of this responsibility, providing protection to millions fleeing violence, persecution, and environmental crises. This reality challenges the dominant narrative that frames migration primarily as a movement toward Europe. Instead, it reveals a system where regional solidarity and neighboring countries play the central role in hosting displaced populations.
Understanding this context is essential for developing fair migration policies and recognizing the immense responsibility already shouldered by countries across Africa.
Italy Where Global Vulnerabilities Converge
For many women from Sub-Saharan Africa, the journey eventually leads to Italy, one of the main arrival points along the Mediterranean Sea migration route. Italy today hosts more than one million sub-Sahara African migrants, including large communities from Nigeria, Senegal, and Eritrea.
Yet many migrant women face double marginalization: as migrants and as women. They often experience:
-
lower employment rates
-
higher levels of precarious work
-
greater risk of exploitation
For those who arrive through irregular routes, the lack of legal protections can increase vulnerability to trafficking networks.
When Protection Systems Are Exploited
At Weavers of Hope APS, our research has revealed how trafficking networks sometimes manipulate the very systems designed to protect migrants.
In some cases, traffickers pressure victims to apply for asylum immediately after arriving in Italy. This process provides a temporary residence document often called a cedolino which can give the appearance of legal status. Behind the scenes, however, exploitation continues where trafficking networks may use several tactics:
- Document confiscation where victims’ identification papers and asylum documents are taken away, leaving them dependent on traffickers.
- Removal from reception centers. Women may be taken from official accommodation centers and moved to private locations controlled by traffickers.
- Manipulated legal processes. Lawyers may handle asylum paperwork without recognizing or sometimes without questioning the trafficking situation. These strategies create a legal façade that makes it extremely difficult for authorities to identify victims.
Debt bondage often deepens the trap. Victims may be forced to repay €30,000–€50,000, with additional legal expenses added to the debt. In some cases, traffickers reinforce control through juju oath rituals, which psychologically bind victims through fear of spiritual consequences.
A Call to Action
The World Migration Report 2024 makes one thing clear: Migration itself is not the problem unsafe systems and exploitation are.
At Weavers of Hope APS, we believe survivors are not defined by their victimization they are individuals with extraordinary resilience, agency, and potential. To break cycles of exploitation, we must act collectively.
Expand Safe Migration Pathways
Governments must create more legal and safe migration routes, reducing reliance on smugglers and traffickers.
Strengthen Asylum Systems
Trauma-informed identification mechanisms should be integrated into asylum procedures to detect trafficking victims early.
Support Survivors Holistically
Survivors need comprehensive assistance, including: legal support, trauma-informed psychological care, vocational training and long-term integration programs.
Address Root Causes
Long-term investments in development, conflict resolution, and climate adaptation can reduce forced migration pressures.
Challenge Stigma
Public awareness and education are essential to combat discrimination and build a more compassionate understanding of migration.
Weaving a Future of Hope
Understanding migration through the global lens offered by the World Migration Report 2024 allows us to see the bigger picture behind individual stories. When we recognize the structural forces shaping migration and address them with compassion and responsibility we move closer to breaking the cycle of exploitation.
Together, we can build a future where every migrant woman arriving in Italy has the opportunity to reclaim her agency, achieve independence, and live with dignity. That is the future we are committed to weaving.
Here is your reference list cleaned, standardized, and formatted in APA-style, which works well for research-based blog posts, NGO reports, and policy writing. I also fixed spacing, capitalization, and ordering for consistency.
References
Anguita-Olmedo, C. (2025). The convergence of trafficking and migrant smuggling in West Africa. Social Sciences.
Bharadwaj, R. (2021). Climate-induced migration and modern slavery. Anti-Slavery International.
https://www.antislavery.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ClimateMigrationReportSep2021_low_res.pdf
Amnesty International. (2024). Nigeria: Girls failed by authorities after escaping Boko Haram captivity.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/06/nigeria-girls-failed-by-authorities-after-escaping-boko-haram-captivity-new-report/
Fondazione ISMU. (2025). 30th Italian report on migrations 2024.
International Organization for Migration. (n.d.). Assessing the migration, climate change and conflict dimension in the Lake Chad region.
https://environmentalmigration.iom.int/assessing-migration-climate-change-and-conflict-dimension-lake-chad-region
International Organization for Migration. (2024). Key findings: Regional dimensions.
https://worldmigrationreport.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1691/files/documents/2024-05/wmr2024-key-findings-ch3-en.pdf
International Organization for Migration. (2024). World Migration Report 2024.
https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024
International Organization for Migration. (2024). World Migration Report 2024 reveals latest global trends and challenges in human mobility.
https://www.iom.int/news/world-migration-report-2024-reveals-latest-global-trends-and-challenges-human-mobility
ISTAT. (2025). Demographic indicators – Year 2024.
Mancini, L. (2025). Female migration from Nigeria, sex trafficking and cultural dynamics. Oñati Socio-Legal Series.
https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/2481
Nicodemi, F., & Cirillo, C. (2024). Toward effective protection of victims of human trafficking in mixed migration flows. Frontiers in Human Dynamics.
Szulc, N. M. (2024). Asylum procedures and forced labour of asylum seekers and refugees in Italy.
https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/items/fbfb0f9f-5001-46f7-8f0a-5841fbe29f08
The Conversation. (2026). African migration: Focusing on Europe misses the point.
UNICEF USA. (n.d.). Fleeing Boko Haram and tricked into sexual exploitation.
https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/fleeing-boko-haram-and-tricked-sexual-exploitation
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2024). Global report 2024. https://www.unhcr.org/publications/global-report-2024
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2025). Global trends: Forced displacement. United Nations.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2024). Global report on trafficking in persons 2024. United Nations
Wathi. (2025). Rebels, victims, peacebuilders: Women in Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict.
https://www.wathi.org/situation-securitaire-cameroun-2025/rebels-victims-peacebuilders-women-in-cameroons-anglophone-conflict-international-crisis-group-fevrier-2023/
