Irregular migration, in which people live or work abroad without correct documentation, has left scores of Zimbabweans vulnerable to many forms of danger, including HIV infection.
Undocumented migration is sometimes considered a natural phenomenon that can be beneficial, but officials at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Harare, Zimbabwe, warned that illegal migrants could be exploited.
"Just over 21,000 people moved into South Africa during January this year alone. How many of those are irregular migrants is difficult to ascertain, but the dangers which most of them face in the host country is clear," IOM's information and communications officer, Nicola Simmonds, told IRIN/PlusNews.
In foreign countries, undocumented migrants enjoy "few legal rights", risk HIV infection and often have little or no access to healthcare, said Simmonds.
To counter this vulnerability, IOM has been informing people about the dangers of irregular migration with a multimedia information initiative that began last year.
Aptly titled 'Safe Journey', the campaign recently hit the road using a truck that converts into a stage for interactive educational theatre and movie screenings.
The three-month campaign has a particular focus on youth. "We fear that more young people are also now engaging in illegal border-jumping without any idea of the risks involved," said Simmonds.
Besides the possibility of low or no pay and sexual abuse in the host countries, Simmonds noted incidents of drowning when people crossed rivers, as well as bandits and rapists who targeted migrants when they slipped over the border.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Zimbabwe welcomed IOM's effort, noting that while it would not stop people from illegally crossing borders, it would help them identify and avoid the dangers.
UNICEF spokesman James Elder told IRIN/PlusNews, "Most migrants find that the grass is not always greener on the other side ... social and cultural norms, which usually influence and reduce risky behaviour back home, can break down during the migration process, leaving mobile groups, especially young girls and boys, open to the sex trade and HIV infection."
In partnership with the Zimbabwean Ministry of Home Affairs, and funded by the UK's Department of International Development, the IOM initiative will put Zimbabweans in the picture as to what documentation is required, and make them aware that although some illegal migrants have found success in foreign lands, many more have put themselves and their families at greater risk.
Around 2,000 irregular migrants are deported each week from South Africa to Zimbabwe via the Beitbridge border post, while an estimated 38,000 were returned from Botswana in just under a year.
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