Causes and Consequences of Human Trafficking:

A Case Study of the Youth of Addis Ababa

Kidist Gezahegn, Unity University
Abstract
The issue of Human Trafficking has become one of the alarming issues in Ethiopia as it is
highly prevalent. This practice has increased recently and the youth are deceived and
sometimes coerced into migrating to the Middle East countries without adequate protection
from abuse and exploitation. The general objective of this study is to evaluate the causes and
consequences of Human Trafficking based on the case of the Youth in Addis Ababa. Two
types of Research Design are employed: Explanatory Research Exploratory Research. Both
qualitative and quantitative methods are applied; and primary and secondary sources of
information are employed. The major tools utilized are case study, interview, and self-
administered questionnaire. The target populations chosen for this study are those human
trafficking victims that have been saved or returned to Ethiopia. The target population is
1200 and due to financial difficulties, one-third of the sample size (which is 97 respondents)
was involved in the study.
The study has identified different economic, social and cultural factors as main causes of
trafficking. Such factors as poverty, the desire to improve one’s life, lack of opportunity and
low payment for domestic work were mentioned by the informants as main causes of
trafficking in Ethiopia. Added to this, migration policy of countries, promises of steady
employment, pressure from the society, success stories told by migrants, low level of
education, failure in education, forced marriage and abusive family conditions were also
among the socio-cultural factors identified in the study as contributing factors to trafficking.
The study has also sought to explore the trafficking process and the multifaceted problems
being faced by the trafficking victims in the process. In this study it is discovered that
trafficked persons experience multifaceted problems in the trafficking process, starting from
their place of origin till they reach the destination country.
Key Words: Human Trafficking, Causes, Consequences, Youth of Addis Ababa
1. Introduction
1.1. Background of the Study
Ethiopia has seen great improvement in several sectors of development (socially,
economically, and politically). The economic sector is the major area of development. Such
growth includes infrastructural adjustments to attain the Millennium Development Goals and
national strategic plans of the government. But, despite these great achievements, the
majority of Ethiopians continue to live in poverty and its outcomes. As a way of coping with
all of these issues, the people have resorted to often dangerous and appalling options, such
as involvement in crimes for profit, prostitution and other implausible activities. One of the
major choices people resort to is become clients of illegal brokers to escape to other
countries through human trafficking. Why not search for alternatives right here in Ethiopia?
What pushes them to choose crossing boarders through this process? This research will be
dealing with these issues.
Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons
by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of
deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or
receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over
another person, for the purpose of exploitation (UN, 2000). It is an emerging problem

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rapidly growing in the 21thC (Interpol, 2009). It is a situation in which trade of humans takes
places, most commonly sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others (Wikipedia). Human
trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for
exploitation or commercial gain (Homeland Security, 2015). It is a hidden crime as victims
rarely com forward to seek help because of language barriers, fears of the traffickers, and/or
fear of law enforcement (Homeland Security, 2015).
As outlined in the definition, trafficking in persons is more than simply moving someone
from one location to another against their will, and more than forcing someone to work in
poor conditions (IMO, 2006). The complex phenomenon of human trafficking is often
confused with other forms of people movement, such as irregular migration and smuggling
of migrants. As a result, people who have been trafficked are treated as criminals rather than
victims (ILO, 2011). On the other hand, when people agree voluntarily with smugglers to
cross the borders of a country, the event is known as smuggling, and both the smugglers and
smuggled people are considered to have breached the immigration laws of both countries.
This may occur where people may not have legal means to cross the border; or they are not
aware of the available legal channels to do that, or in some cases, where there are no legal
channels for migration at all (ILO, 2011).
Majority of statistical data on human trafficking are raw and unrefined estimates (Salt,
2000). Global marketing, based on the recognition of major countries that implicate human
trafficking, might be useful for planning and evaluation. Mapping these “Hot Spots” can
offer valuable data on human trafficking (Kangaspunta, 2003). If the trafficking of women
and men were examined separately, it would be possible to estimate the victims of
trafficking in the country of destination after their recruitment and transportation
(Kangaspunta, 2003). As a result, it is established that 85% of female victims were
trafficked for sexual exploitation, 2% for forced labor, while 13% include both types of
exploitation, whereas, 16% of male victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 24% for
forced labor, with 60% of the cases including both types of exploitations (Kangaspunta,
2003).
A vast majority of Ethiopian youth work in the informal and agricultural sector,
characterized by ease of entry, reliance on local resources, small scale, labor intensive, and
the need of simple skill obtained outside the formal educational system (Emebet, 2000). As
household incomes have fallen, the contribution of the youth became essential and, as a
result, more and more young people are turning to informal employment sectors given their
lack of skills and training. With minimal or no education, access to the formal sector of the
economy is limited (Emebet, 2000). As a result, illegal agents are preferred by people in
search of better life abroad and often end up in human trafficking. The revised Criminal
Code of Ethiopia incorporates provisions that criminalize trafficking in persons (articles 596,
598, and 635), indicating the need for supplementary analysis on the causes and
consequences of human trafficking (ILO, 2011).
Middle East counties are usually places of destination for the progression of Human
Trafficking. Major destination areas are Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan,
Bahrain, Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Algeria,
Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco (Martin Baldwin-Edward, 2005).
This issue has become beyond the government’s or even beyond the citizens’ control. Even
though they witness what happens to their brothers and sisters on media, they still prefer to
go through the torturous and anguishing journey. Somehow going through the territories of

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countries they don’t even know gives them more relief than finding employment in their
own country. Is it lack of employment and other issues or is it pure stubbornness? This
research will be dealing with these questions and various other issues as well as suggest
solutions on how to tackle them.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
The issue of human trafficking has become one of the alarming issues of the century.
Trafficking of Ethiopians is highly prevalent in Ethiopia. This practice has increased
recently and the youth are deceived and sometimes coerced into migrating to the Middle
East countries without adequate protection from abuse and exploitation (ILO, 2011).
Exploring the causes of human trafficking patterns in the Horn of Africa is complex due to
the fact that there are so many agents present at the same time. The number of refugees
from Ethiopia increased from 55,000 in 1972, to over a million in 1992. Even though
Ethiopia has encountered trafficking in the past, movement of Ethiopian citizens
significantly intensified in the late 1960s and 1970s (ILO, 2004). But, the issue of trafficking
has not been adequately addressed within the country. The consequences faced at the place
of destination have been a hot issue of discussion from time to time, but little has been done
to improve the situation. Few private initiatives have been taken to address the issue of
exploitation. Efforts that have been made are scattered related to specific cases, and do not
address the root causes of the problem (Emebet, 2000).
There has been less funding for long-term research to investigate in more detail the causes of
trafficking and the best ways to prevent and combat it, or to make a detailed assessment of
the impacts of different interventions and policy responses. There are very few comparative
studies of trafficking based on extensive fieldwork in either country of origin or of
destination. Most studies are also based on research conducted at one point in time, with
little longitudinal research investigating the circumstances of individuals before, during, and
after trafficking, including research to assess the extent to which survivors and the extent to
which they are able to integrate or reintegrate into their communities and recover both
physically and mentally from their afflictions (ILO, 2005). There is also divergence between
different government departments within states; between governments, NGOs and Civil
Society, and between governments and other stakeholders in origin, transit and destination
countries (Koser, 2005).
Both men and women migrate to Middle East countries. Women mostly use the formal
migration channel involving visa and passports; and they use the services of agencies and
brokers as facilitators of their migration. The common trend for men migrants is rather the
desert route, using the services of smugglers. Women constitute the majority of these
victimized by traffickers. Even though women and men from the rural areas are increasingly
becoming victims of trafficking, human trafficking is more of an urban phenomenon (ILO,
2011).
1.3. Research Questions

1. What are the major causes of human trafficking?

2. What are the various consequences of human trafficking on the youth of Addis
Ababa?
3. Who are the stakeholders of human trafficking?
4. What methods should be implemented to tackle the issue?

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 1.4. Objectives of the Study
The report will be directed towards achieving the following objectives about the causes and
consequences of human trafficking on the youth of Addis Ababa.
1.4.1. General Objective
The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the Causes and Consequences of Human
Trafficking: Case Study of the Youth of Addis Ababa.
1.4.2. Specific Objectives
The study will be conducted to achieve the following specific objectives of this research:
Identify the major cause of human trafficking in Ethiopia;
Portray the various consequences of human trafficking on the youth of Addis
Ababa;
Identify the stakeholders of human trafficking; and
Propose suggestion on how to tackle the issue.

1.5. Scope of the Study

This research focuses on trafficking in human beings across the borders of Ethiopia.
Although human trafficking may be committed for different purposes, this study focuses
only on trafficking for labor purposes, with particular emphasis on domestic labor to
countries of the Middle East. It will describe what causes the youth of Addis Ababa to be
victims of human trafficking, as well as describe its consequences. The research will be
based on the victims of human trafficking as well as different officials at different
organizations and law enforcements that have been part of the mission of tackling this issue.
1.6. Significance of the Study
This research has the following significances:
It will be essential to bring awareness on the existence and knowledge about the
nature of the problem;
It will provide explanations on how to prevent all of the well known causes of
human trafficking;
It will recommend approaches on tackling the issue; and
It will provide suggestions on how make a better source of living rather than
resorting to illegal migration.

1.7. Limitations of the Study

Due largely to the clandestine and illicit nature of human trafficking there were some
problems faced the study during the fieldwork. The first problem was related to accessing
informants. It was difficult to get individual informants directly involved in human
trafficking; this was mainly because of unfortunate timing. This is to mean that during field
work the informants just weren’t at the field due to their own reasons. And also, even if they
were found at the study sites, they weren’t willing to cooperate because of fear of exposing
oneself to police. Therefore, good timing is an important tool to create good rapport with
informants and get their intimacy.

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The problem, which is studied in this research, is relatively “unseen” and “denied” by most
of the parties involved in it. The key informants, such as the victims of trafficking, who are
expected to provide first hand information for this research, belong to the group known as
“hidden populations”. Because its members (victims of trafficking) are neither easily
identifiable nor easily found, this was another additional challenge for the researcher to
access information from such “hidden populations”.
Furthermore, relative lack of cooperation was seen from the study sites (organizations)
chosen for this research. With the intention of protecting the identity of these victims’
secrets they attempted to avoid giving bulky information about the matter unless a lot of
bureaucratic processes are held. Although their intentions are pure and understandable it had
played a part in delaying the chance of my getting accessing these victims.
2. Research Design and Methodology
2.1. Research Design
Research Design is the overall strategy that is employed to integrate the different
components of the study in a coherent and logical manner, thereby ensuring that the research
questions will be addressed.
Two types of Research Designs are employed:
a. Explanatory Research: focus on the ‘why’ question. This means it involves
developing causal explanations which argues that phenomenon Y is affected by factor X. In
the case of this research, it will attempt to develop casual explanations for human trafficking
in Ethiopia.
b. Exploratory Research: seeks to generate a posteriori hypothesis (observational
premise) by examining a data-set and looking for potential relations between variables. This
could increase the odds of finding a significant result by lowering the threshold of what is
deemed to be significant. In the case of this study, possible relations will be identified in
order to generalize the issued argument.

The nature of this study is extracting data from victims of human trafficking as well as law
enforcement agencies and institutions involved in this matter using explanatory and
exploratory research designs.

2.2. Research Methodology

Research Methodology is the systematic theoretical analysis of the methods applied to the
study. It is the procedure through which explanations and predictions of the phenomena
(which is human trafficking) will be organized. For this study, both qualitative and
quantitative research methods will be employed for the collection and analysis of the data.
Quantitative Research Method will be used to collect and analyze the accurate
measurement of phenomena and often the application of statistical analysis. It will
involve the use of Questionnaire for the collection of data, which will be
distributed to victims of human trafficking and law enforcements and institutions
concerned with human trafficking.
Qualitative Research Method is less concerned with numbers and quantitative
measurement and more concerned with the depth of data. It will involve the
collection of data through Case Study and Interviews, which will be concerned
with the victims of human trafficking, law enforcement agencies, and institutions
involved in tackling the issue of trafficking.

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 2.3. Source of Data
Both Primary and Secondary Sources of data will be used for this research:
I. Primary Sources
The Primary data of the research will be collected using the following methods:
a. Case Study will focus on gaining and an in-depth understanding of this particular
entity. It will be used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily
manageable topic.
b. Questionnaire will consist of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose
of gathering information from respondents.
c. Structured Interview will take place face-to-face with the respondents in order to
provide a chance for detailed understanding of the research participant’s perspectives. It will
be prepared in advance and in an organized manner.
II. Secondary Sources
Secondary data will be collected from published books, newspapers, journals, as well as
research papers on the causes and consequences of human trafficking on the youth of Addis
Ababa. These materials were all collected on Google Scholar. This site contains legitimate
and valid written materials by different scholars.

2.4. Techniques of Data Collection

Three methods of Qualitative and Quantitative techniques of data collection include:

a. Case Study is basically an in depth study of a particular situation rather than a
sweeping statistical survey. Thus, this technique will be used to collect data from
respondents found at Addis Ababa City Government Bureau of Labor and Social
Affairs, Nolawi Service, and AGAR Shelter.
b. Interview is the interpersonal contact with the respondent whose perspectives
affect the success of this paper.
c. Questionnaire consists of a succession of question that is sharply limited by the
face that is sharply limited by the fact that respondents must be able to read the
questions and respond to them.

2.5. Instruments of Data Collection

The data gathering instruments for this study are both Interview and Questionnaire. These
instruments are chosen to ensure validity and reliability.
a. Unstructured Questionnaire is implemented. This type of questionnaire calls
for a free response in the respondent’s own words. It constitutes questions which
give the respondents an opportunity to express his/her opinions from a set of
options.
b. Structured Interviews. This type of interview which is formal because a set of
questions known as interview questionnaires are posed to each interviewee and the
responses are recorded on a standardized schedule.
2.6. Sampling Procedure
The target populations chosen for this study are those human trafficking victims that have
been saved and returned to Ethiopia. These are people that have been rescued by our
government during the second round of the process of liberating trafficking victims.

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I. Sample Size
According to Krejcie and Morgan, 1970 for a target population of 1200 the sample size is
291. Unfortunately, as a graduating student with no income, reaching all 291 respondents is
a bit unmanageable. Thus due to financial difficulties, one-third of the sample size (which is
97 respondents) were included in the study.

II. Sampling Unit

The sampling unit of the study is the victims and officials that include:
a. Addis Ababa City Government Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs,
b. Nolawi Service,
c. AGAR Shelter.
The Research applied Spatial Sampling procedure. This procedure will be used to address
the people that are temporarily congregated at the study site. The data has to be collected
before the crowd is dispersed. Due to the nature of the population, there are neither sampling
frames nor sufficient time available to permit the use of other methods.
2.7. Study Site
The research site is Addis Ababa with a focus on victims of human trafficking and
institutions dealing with this critical social problem. These institutions have been chosen,
because of their involvement with the issue.

2.8. Methods used During Data Presentation and Analysis

The study has followed a data analysis method in which responses to the research questions
were recorded and interpreted. Appropriate methods and determination of suitable data is
employed. Two approaches are applied. The first approach is Deductive Approach which
implement predetermined framework to analyze data. As planned, the research results reflect
all of the research questions mentioned above.
3. Data Presentation, Analysis, and Findings
3.1. Major Causes of Human Trafficking in Ethiopia

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of the

threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the
abuse of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or
benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the
purpose of exploitation. A combination of different economic, social and other factors
operate behind human trafficking and are responsible for the trafficking of thousands of
individuals from less developed countries to the developed ones.
This chapter presents accounts of informants who participated in this study especially in
relation to various factors contributing for human trafficking. Identifying the causes is a
prerequisite to understand the challenges faced by victims of human trafficking. As it has
been presented under chapter two, human trafficking researchers attached different push and
pull factors to trafficking in human beings. These factors will be discussed in this chapter
with giving due emphasis to the experiences of the informants. Following this informants’
reason for choosing illegal ways of migration will be also discussed in this chapter.
Therefore in this chapter an attempt is made to answer some of the research questions, which
are related to causes of trafficking.

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3.2. Factors That Lead to Human Trafficking
Several reasons are forwarded by researchers for the existence and rise of human trafficking
in Ethiopia. The causes or push factors mentioned by the informants include: a)
unemployment and under employment, b) the existing poverty, c) economic uncertainties
and decline, d) worsening living standards, e) low payment for domestic work, f) lack of
educational opportunities, g) lack of good governance, h) lose of border controls; and j) lack
of social and welfare services.
Trafficking is also caused by a variety of causes operating as pull factors in the receiving
countries. According to the literature push factors constitute different issues which force
individuals to seek another way of survival in other countries. Some of these include better
payments, access to job, and employment opportunities for unskilled laborers in destination
countries.
As the empirical data collected in the field clearly shows the decline in social services and
economic sectors which is caused by the economic transition, unemployment, increasing
rate of poverty and failure in education have created a strong force which push vulnerable
individuals to opt for migration and end up in trafficking.
The findings of this study shows that majority of the informants are forced to leave their
country as a result of poverty and economic vulnerability. Frequently, research in the area of
human trafficking makes the trafficker the centerpiece and principal subject of the work, and
therefore marginalizes the victim's experience. Brokers or human traffickers are always
blamed for the existence of trafficking in persons. Nevertheless, the problem of trafficking
begins not with the traffickers themselves, but with the conditions that caused the victims to
migrate under circumstances rendering them vulnerable to exploitation.
Majority of the informants contacted in this study mentioned poverty, unemployment and
other economic factors as a main cause for their migration, but it is also undeniable that
social, cultural and political factors played an important role for the trafficking of many
individuals especially women and girls.
3.3. Economic Causes of Human Trafficking
The absence of viable sources of income is among the main economic factors that push
people to become victims of human trafficking. Nowadays families in Ethiopia, even Addis
Ababa, have no assets to support their children’s education and incomes are inadequate to
have a better living. As a result, these households become increasingly vulnerable
economically and women, children, young boys and girls are therefore responsible to
contribute their own share towards the family’s subsistence. This kind of economic situation
by itself paves the way for trafficking; traffickers also use this opportunity to recruit their
victims by deceiving those economically desperate persons with attractive economic
opportunities in other countries.
Varieties of conditions have been identified by key informants as causes for human
trafficking in the Questionnaires distributed among the various organizations in Addis
Ababa. Among other things poverty, unemployment, and other related economic conditions
such as the desire to improve one’s own and ones family’s economic life, as well as to
escape poverty and lack of economic opportunities are among the major economic factors
mentioned by the informants as a main economic causes of human trafficking.

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The following conditions have been identified in the study as main economic causes of
human trafficking in Addis Ababa:
a. Poverty and Desire to Improve Economic Conditions
As elsewhere in the developing world, a large number of men and women in Addis Ababa
are trapped in poverty. Therefore due to their calamitous economic circumstances, young
people in Addis Ababa are the most vulnerable targets for the troubles of human trafficking.
According to the victims, they are among the poorest members of the society. They borrow
money from relatives and other peoples in their surroundings to cover the expenses incurred
for their migration. Moreover, some migrants are engaged in a contract agreement called
Debt Bondage with the brokers to pay the trafficking cost after they reached the destination
place. Debt bondage is an agreement between traffickers and migrants who have no
sufficient cash to facilitate the trafficking process. In this agreement the traffickers agree to
facilitate the trafficking of an individual migrant/s for noting, if the migrant/s in question
agrees to pay back all the expenses on his/her arrival to the destination country.
The victims who participated in this study maintained that poverty accompanied with other
poor economic conditions is an influential factor behind their trafficking. Having recognized
how unrestrained poverty in the country is, migration is the only chance for many people to
escape it and change their lives. I understand that poor people do not necessarily choose
migration as the only means of economic sustainability if they are provided other ways to
escape poverty than migration. For this reason, lack of economic opportunity and access to
public services or generally the obstacles hindering one from escaping poverty should be
also blamed for the existence of human trafficking.
b. Unemployment and Lack of Economic Opportunities
The desire to improve one’s economic conditions and to escape poverty is one of the
primary motivations of migrants who seek employment abroad. If there were employment
and alternative economic opportunities in Addis Ababa these migrants wouldn’t be end up in
trafficking.
Poor living standards and unsettled economic conditions are the main reasons for the
migration and trafficking of majority of the youth in Addis Ababa. Most of the victims
stated that due to various constraints they were unemployed before their migration. Limited
access to education, lack of capital to start their own small business, lack of skills and
training, and low payment for domestic work were among the main factors for the
unemployment of the migrants.
Other studies show that, a large number of the youth migrate to the Middle East to be
employed as housemaids, drivers, and construction workers. This is mainly due to the fact
that job opportunities within the country are limited. There is no doubt that migrants would
not try the dangerous journey across the boundaries of their country if jobs were available to
them at home. All the migrants in the study mentioned that when they faced lack of job
opportunities and financial problem, then they decided to migrate and considered
unemployment as a core factor for them to end up in trafficking.

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3.4. Socio Cultural Factors that Leads to Trafficking
Poverty itself is not the only factor causing people to be trafficked. Rather, cultural values,
social norms and practices which are embedded in the cultural constructions of the society,
and the culture that embraces and even promotes sexual and labor exploitation are to blame
for the ongoing extreme criminality of human trafficking around the world.
Cultural values, societal norms and practices play an important role and are among the major
push factors contributing for trafficking in humanbeings. For example, in many societies
there are different social and cultural conditions that suppress and devalue women’s work.
This devaluation and suppression of women and girls in a society makes them more
vulnerable to trafficking than men or children.
According to the informants, the following are some of the socio cultural conditions that
push vulnerable people to end up in trafficking. These are the main social and cultural
conditions identified by the study as socio cultural causes of human trafficking: pressure
from family and friends; success stories of previous migrants; failure in education; and low
level of education

Pressure from Family and Friends: In societies where migrating to other countries
become a culture, pushing and motivating children to go to those countries is becoming a
common practice for many family members in Ethiopia. According to the informants of this
study this kind of pressure from families is making many individuals vulnerable to
trafficking.

Low level of education and illiteracy: As a result of illiteracy and low level of
education majority of the youth in Addis Ababa have less or limited access to employment
in formal labor markets. This lack of employment in formal labor markets aggravates the
already impoverished life and forces them to look for opportunities in other places. Some
migrant informants mentioned their being uneducated led them to seek employment
opportunities in informal and low paying sectors. Thus in search of better job opportunities,
they are forced to resort to human trafficking.

False Promises of Steady Employment in Arab Countries: Brokers use different

methods to encourage the poor youth to migrate to another place and improve their life.
They often promise the victims that they will get them employed in hotels and other service
offering industries. Such false promises of steady employment as housemaids, nannies, car
drivers, and hotel service positions or attendants, motivate individuals to migrate to those
places. This has become a very common method of taking victims from their homeland to a
place that they know nothing about. Thus, poor individuals who seek work abroad are often
misled by false promises of steady employment in developed countries, which is often given
by the brokers.

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Table 1: Estimation of causes of migration among ten informants
Factors that lead to trafficking Number of informants
(10 migrants)
Economic Factors Poverty and desire to improve one’s 10
life
Unemployment/lack of economic 9
opportunity
Low payment for domestic work 7
Socio-cultural factors False promises of employment 8
Failure in education and illiteracy 8
Pressure from the society 6
Profile of Victims of Trafficking
Information for this section is gathered from the victims/returnees and service providing
officials contacted for the study at the following organizations: Nolawi Service, AGAR,
Addis Ababa City Government Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs as well as Federal Police
HQ.
3.5. Age at the time of Migration
Owing to their inexperience, vulnerability, sense of adventure, and responsibility, it is not
surprising that young persons and children commonly fall prey to traffickers and those
benefiting from the migration process. A large percentage (53.6%) of migrants were
between the ages of 19-25, followed by the age group 25-30 (30.3%), and fewer but
significant number migrating after the age of 31 (13.5%). It is reported that men migrants
and generally older (between 20 and 35) than women migrants.
Table 2: Age of Victims of Trafficking
AGAR Shelter Nolawi Service Cumulative
No % No % Sum %
< 18 3 6.67 5 11.11 8 8.89
19-25 21 46.67 19 42.22 40 44.44
26-30 19 42.2 18 40 37 41.11
31 or order 2 4.44 3 6.67 5 5.56
total 45 100 45 100 90 100

3.6. Sex
Both male and female Ethiopians migrate to the Middle East countries, but the proportion is
different depending on: a) potential migrants or victims; and b) Migration channels.
According to PEA, women mostly use the formal migration channel involving visa and
passports. Men rarely use services of oversea employment services. Still the majority of the
clients of brokers/traffickers are women.
According to ILO, more than half of the secondary returnees are women. Men mostly use
the services of smugglers and the majority of migrants use the desert route, i.e. through Afar,
Dire Dawa, and Metema. However, it is also noted that the number of women migrants
using the services of smugglers is on the increase.

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Table 3: Sex of Victims
Sex AGAR Shelter Nolawi Service Cumulative
No. % No. % No. %
Men 17 37.78 19 42.22 36 40
Women 28 62.22 26 57.78 54 60
Total 45 100 45 100 90 100

3.7. Educational Background

Level of education is not a critical criterion for women migrants to be engaged in domestic
work and men migrants to be engaged in manual labor of any kind. According to ILO, both
educated and uneducated women may be potential migrants and victims of traffickers. This
is because most women migrants are mainly trafficked for domestic work purposes,
including child and elderly care.
Young people who have given up their education for different reasons including marriage or
giving birth, death of patents, repeated failure to pass school exams, and other causes also
opt for migration to change their life. Brokers/Traffickers mostly target young girls who
have graduated from high school and are unemployed. This is because they understand that
these girls have no hope of alternative education and training or employment opportunities
and hence consider themselves as burdens to their families and are forced to consider
migration.
Table 4: Educational Background of Returnees/Victims
Educational Returnees Cumulative
Level
AGAR Nolawi Service Sum %
Shelter
No % No %
0-4 0 0 2 4.44 2 2.22
5-8 14 31.11 12 26.67 26 28.89
9-10 18 40 21 46.67 39 43.33
11-12 13 28.89 6 13.33 19 21.11
Above 12 0 0 4 8.89 4 4.44
Total 45 100 45 100 90 100

3.8 Family Background

Generally, women from poor families are more vulnerable to be trafficked. Very poor
families have financed migration of their children by borrowing from credit facilities (legal
or illegal) and by drawing from their savings. The money is collected by sacrificing basic
economic interests and survival needs of the family. This could lead on already
impoverished family to total destitution.

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3.9. Place of Residence
It is not easy to profile victims by place of residence. Anyone who is affected by the causes
behind migration may be a potential migrant given the availability of adequate or misleading
information.
4. The Process of Trafficking
As defined by the Palermo Protocol, human trafficking is composed of three elements:
Recruitments, Transportation, and Exploitation.
4.1 Recruitment
Recruitment of potential victims is the first step in the process of human trafficking. It may
be initiated by different people, including local brokers, returnees and visitors from
destination countries, relatives and friends of these, and licensed or unlicensed agencies.
Table 5: Recruiters for human trafficking (according to victims of trafficking)
Recruiters Frequency
AGAR Shelter Nolawi Service Sum %
PEAs 16 11 27 30
Illegal brokers/Unlicensed 18 21 39 43.33
agents
Family/Friends 11 13 24 26.67
Total 45 45 90 100

4.2. Profile of Traffickers

According to MoFA, there are more than 1,000 illegal brokers in Addis Ababa alone.
However, these figures are very doubtful as the practice is hidden and reported cases are
only the tip of the iceberg.
There are six categories of traffickers distinguishable in terms of their identity, modes of
operation, and their role in the trafficking process. It is important to note that most of the
traffickers work as part of a network that starts from the place of origin of the victims and
extends up to the country or countries of destination. The following are the six categories:
local brokers; brokers for transportation, harboring, and smuggling; unlicensed employment
agencies; licensed peas; returnees, visitors, and their responsibilities; and destination point
traffickers.
a. Local Brokers
Local Brokers are individuals going around at the community level recruiting migrants from
the communities they live in. these people are known by the community members as key
links in the migration process, providing them with important information about
opportunities abroad and the process of migration. They promote their services by using
success stories of people they have already sent abroad. They also actively disseminate
information about employment opportunities in the Middle East countries routes that result
in successful migration, and returns and benefits of migration. They particularly target girls
with economic, social, educational, and family problems. Once potential migrants or family
members contact them, they fill them with wrong information about issues like working and
living conditions in the destination countries, and the possibility of bonuses and gifts from
employers. If anyone challenges them with facts about failed migration stories, abuse, and

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exploitation suffered by migrants, they argue saying that is the result of bad facilitation by
inexperienced and untrustworthy brokers and bad luck.
According to data drawn from the informants, local brokers are responsible for the first stage
of recruitment of most victims of trafficking for the purpose of labor form Ethiopia to
Middle East countries.
The significant majority of victims have reported being recruited by an individual broker. In
contrast, the role of local brokers in the recruitment of second-time migrants as a whole has
been found to be significantly lower. This indicates that first time migrants are more likely
to be recruited by local brokers.
b. Brokers for Transportation, Harboring, and Smuggling
These are individuals or a chain of individuals responsible for the transportation, harboring,
and smuggling of migrants across borders. This type of traffickers receive the victims from
local brokers, usually in groups, and are likely to transfer them to another trafficker within
the network before they reach the destination country. Such individuals are reported to be
located on the desert and sea routes. Most of these are returnees or contraband merchants
who know the desert routes very well and have contacts with brokers in transit countries,
such as Djibouti and Yemen, and in destination countries, such as in the Sudan and Saudi
Arabia. These individuals function by securing protection from local authorities and armies
patrolling the desert routes.
The smuggling practice usually starts once local brokers have transferred to the smugglers
an adequate number of migrants to form a manageable group to cross borders. The
responsibility of this category of traffickers is to take the irregular migrants through arduous
territories and smuggle them through non-patrolled section of the border. In some cases,
irregular migrants are transferred to other brokers responsible for the remaining section(s) of
the route. The covert and arduous nature of irregular migration puts migrants in a vulnerable
and dependent position. It is reported that this category of traffickers/smugglers routinely
abuses migrants under their care to ensure compliance and/or sexual advantages.
c. Unlicensed Employment Agencies
While there are overseas private employment agencies (PEAs) that have a license from the
relevant authority to facilitate regular migration and employment of citizens in foreign
countries, there are also others which provide similar services without the required license. It
is reported that most of the irregular migration is facilitated by these unlicensed agencies.
More than 70% of irregular migration to Middle East countries is operated by these types of
agencies.
Local employment agencies providing employment services for local domestic workers
facilitate overseas employment behind the scene. These agencies might have a license for
the provision of local, but not overseas employment services. It is reported that these brokers
know what they do is illegal and take precaution not to be caught by the authorities.
The victims do not usually make a distinction between unlicensed agencies and PEAs. In
many instances, returnees who reported who reported that their employment was handled by
a PEA were not able to name the agency. In most cases, they mention that the agent had an
office somewhere in town, but they are unable to confirm whether the agency had a license.
Parents and community members’ further stress that the process was ‘legal’ because a

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passport and/or a visa was/were issued; travel was made by air; and/or the agent had an
office.
d. Licensed Private Employment Agencies (PEAs)
A number of reports identify PEAs as actors in the trafficking of humanbeings. This fact is
corroborated by interviews with a number of stakeholders, including the representatives of
the Bureau of Social Affairs and AGAR.
According to PEAs, the different expenses related to migration are: issuance of passport;
pre-registration medical examination; photographs; authentication of the employment
contract in the country of destination; insurance; fingerprinting; post-selection medical
examination; visa; return ticket; and the authentication of the employment contract in
Ethiopia

All PEAs confirmed that except for the authentication of the employment contract in the
country of destination, insurance, and the return ticket, migrant workers cover all other
costs. According to PEAs, the first-time migrant workers are more vulnerable to abuse,
because they lack experience and at times have high expectations about life and work
abroad. Equally vulnerable are returnees because, according to PEAs, returnees think they
know more about their rights and enter into confrontational argument with their employers.
Migrants who do not have skills and do not speak Arabic or English are similarly vulnerable
to abuse.
e. Returnees, visitors, and their representatives
Returnees are involved at various stages of the trafficking process in different capacities.
While some might just facilitated migration for a fee through their contacts in Addis Ababa
or in the country of destination, others have established a trafficking network handling the
whole process. While some migrants return to their communities and stay there for good,
others make various trips to Ethiopia to spread the word about their services and recruit
potential migrants. It is also very common for migrants involved in the practice to be
represented by relatives and friends in their place of origin during their absence. These kinds
of traffickers are very common to communities where a ‘culture of migration’ has emerged.
Returnees are also reported to be active and successful recruiters as they are members of the
same community and can tell success stories of their own convincingly. Even if they had
encountered hardships, returnees seldom, if ever, communicate the information to potential
victims.
f. Destination Point Traffickers
The last category of traffickers is destination-point traffickers. They consist of individuals
who exploit the vulnerability of migrants in destination countries and who put them in
situations of vulnerability, abuse, and exploitation using fraud, abuse of vulnerability,
control, coercion, and threat. These traffickers are residents of the destination countries and
have usually form links with local and unlicensed agents or enticed friends and family
members to handle the local aspect while they handle the process at the destination end.

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 4.3. Transportation Process
In the trafficking process, transporting the migrants from their local residential area to the
transit places is the next step that comes following the recruitment or procurement of
migrants.
Methods of transporting trafficked persons depend upon geographical conditions and may
include crossing border (legally or illegally). Modes of transportation in trafficking can
encompass every means available: airplanes, boats, railways, cars or even walking
(Transparency International 2011:3). Land transportation system is exclusively used to
transport victims of trafficking among the youth of Addis Ababa.
4.4. Exploitation and Coercion
The third element in the trafficking process is exploitation. The main purpose of recruiting
and transporting a potential migrant is to be able to benefit from the exploitation of his/her
labor and/or body (sexual exploitation or removal of organs). Traffickers violate rights of
their victims to ensure compliance, control, and take maximum advantage.
As a result, human trafficking inflicts massive negative impact, first and foremost on the
affected people and their families, and also on the societies of which they are part. The
consequences of trafficking on victims are manifold and devastating. The perilous journey to
the destination, hazardous working and living conditions, and abuse and exploitation in the
hands of traffickers and employers have significant and long lasting impact on the lives of
victims. The constant control of their movement and the state of vulnerability and fear, in
which traffickers and employers keep their victims, causes serious adverse consequences on
the personal, social and economic situation of the victims, as well as their physical and
mental health. The situations of victims at destination point include:
a. Exploitative working and living conditions
The most common complaint of victims of trafficking is exploitative working and living
conditions facing them at the place of destination. The reported conditions include: long
working hours, unbearable workload, restricted movement, inability to change employers,
denial of wages, and irregular payment of wages. It was also reported that female employers
add more tasks on domestic workers and restrict their movement within the house when they
fear that hundreds are sexually attracted to the domestic workers. Some reported that their
employer take them to relatives or friend’s houses to clean and/or cook if ever they manage
to complete their work a bit earlier. Migrant workers labor excessively for long hours per
day and are not allowed leisure time. The working hours reported by returnees indicate that
around half of them work for more than twelve hours per day seven out of ten work for more
than eight hours.
Overwork and employer’s refusal to let them contact their family are the most common
complaints by the workers they sent abroad. Salary withholding and isolation are also
common types of abuses suffered by migrant workers.
The living conditions of migrant domestic workers are also a cause for concern. They did
not have access to sufficient food during their stay at the place of destination. There are also
reports that some employers deny domestic workers food for several days at a time. As a
result, some are forced to forage among the family’s garbage.

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 Box 1
A Case Story Showing How Migrant Domestic Workers Suffer Deprivation of Food
“A domestic worker in the house on top floor used to throw me food through the balcony
whenever her employer left the house; because my employer only gave me two pieces of
pita bread per day.” An informant who was trafficked to UAE who has now returned and
lives in Addis Ababa

b. Coercion
Victims of trafficking are subjected to acts of coercion at places of destination. Most
prevalent among these are confiscation of documents, restrictions on freedom of movement,
emotional abuse and withholding of wages.
Table 6: Incidence of Deception, Coercion, and Exploitation at Destination (Returnees)
Indicators Responses (%)
Deceptive Recruitment
Deception about living and working conditions, earnings, travel and 54.6
recruitment condition
Strong indicators of coercion
Confiscation of documents 71.4
Forced to work without salary 38.2
Isolation, limitations on freedom of movement 51.6
Physical abuse 31.3
Sexual abuse 12.5
Emotional abuse 50.0
Medium indicators of coercion
Pressured/influenced to do things 36.4
Threat to impose even worse working conditions 36.4
Withholding of wages 53.1
Strong indicator of exploitation
Excessive working hours (>8) 75.53
Medium indicators of exploitation
Forced to work without salary 38.2
Very bad living condition: Denial of access to food 61.9
Very bad working condition: No leisure time 68.6
Very bad working condition: No freedom to change employer 79.4
According to victims of trafficking receiving services at AGAR, 58% of the abuses are
perpetuated by female employers, while brokers/agents are responsible for 26% of the abuse.
Agents, legal or illegal, who have promised better working and living conditions in the
destination countries at recruitment stage are not only very poor at protecting migrant
domestic workers’ safety, but may also inflict abuse on workers.
There are also reports of Ethiopian women languishing in prisons in the Middle East
countries accused by their employers of theft or absconding or being caught without papers
while trying to escape from the employers (see Box 2 for the case of Tigist, for example).

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 Box 2
A Case Story Showing that Victims also Suffer Illegal Imprisonment
“Tigist is a young woman who migrated to Kuwait through an agency. She is now
languishing in prison simply because she wanted to return to Ethiopia.”
A research participant at Nolawi
c. Abuse of Vulnerability
Traffickers and employers take advantage of the vulnerability of migrant workers with a
view to benefit themselves and keeping the victims under control. Employees’ dependency
on exploiters renders them vulnerable, and is thus an inherent element and factor of
victimization. In most cases, the process of migration itself is designed to make the victims
vulnerable to and dependent on traffickers. This is particularly true during transportation,
where traffickers have power over the very survival of migrants. Even PEAs put the migrant
workers they sent in a situation of vulnerability by confiscating their passport and contact
addresses of persons who might provide support upon arrival in the country of destination.
At the personal level, victims of trafficking spend their youth in adverse circumstances, far
from their family and community. As such, opportunities for personal development,
intellectual advancement and spiritual growth are lost. Aggravated by exploitation, abuse
and vulnerability, the victims are made susceptible to extreme personality disorders
involving loss of sense of self-esteem, fairness and justice. This may also be a cause and
effect of engagement of victims in illicit activities (see box 3 as an example).
Box 3
A Case Story Depicting the Consequences of Illicit Migration
“Leila has three sisters who migrated illegally to Libya with the help of an aunt here in
Addis Ababa. All three of them complain about the workload, salary withholding and
emotional and physical abuses, but the aunt was not able to assist them out of those
problems.
A returnee at Nolawi

Box 4
A case Story on the Costs of Migration
“When my neighbor migrated to the Middle East, her mother had to sell her property and
borrow money to pay the brokers. However, the migrant came back with a broken leg only
after four months.” An informant from Nolawi

4.5. Impacts of Trafficking in Persons

4.5.1 Impacts on the Victim’s Family
The family may feel the negative impact directly or indirectly. Every aspect of the victim’s
adverse situation has an impact on her family, including the very existence of the family
unit. Family members support the migration of the victim in the expectation that they will
soon be reimbursed or otherwise benefit. The cost ranges between ETB 2,300 (for migration
through a PEA) and ETB 11,000 (for migration through the use of brokers, which entails a
total cost of between ETB 8,000 and ETB 11,000). This is likely to involve selling of assets
and borrowing from other community members.
In addition to the depletion of resources on the one hand and the escalation of living costs on
the other hand, failure on the part of the victim to send back money to her family would be

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catastrophic to the family. In the worst cases, a migrant returning with an injury or medical
condition will put additional financial burden on the family.
4.5.2. Impacts on Society
The consequences of trafficking are not limited to the household; it also impacts
progressively communities and the society at large. The national level consequences are in
fact more long-lasting and become pronounced in time. The more discernable impacts at this
level include: loss of productive workforce, social problems arising from broken families
and children growing up without a parent or parents, as well as the growing instability of the
migrants and their families in the contexts of dependency on earnings from countries where
restrictive immigration policies do neither allow longer-term residency status nor any
realistic possibility for family unification.
Multifaceted Challenges faced by the Victims at Various Stages of the Trafficking
As diversified as the causes of trafficking, victims of trafficking face multifaceted
challenges in different stages of the trafficking process. In both academic and non academic
writings, and in many media outlets including newspapers, magazines, and electronic medias
we have read and heard about the different problems that Ethiopian trafficking victims face
after reaching the destination countries. Although it is true that victims of trafficking
experience multifaceted challenges in transit towns and during destination countries, the
different problems that victims experience in destination places are well researched and
documented compared to that of the challenges victims face in transit town and the
transportation processes before reaching the destination.
The challenges they face is at different areas, different points, and of variety of forms (see
the following examples):
1. Challenges during Pre-departure
This is where recruiting migrants by persuading them through various mechanisms is the
initial step of the trafficking process. The pre-departure time was full of promises of good
opportunities other positive things. In order to persuade and get their consent, the agents
who recruit victims deliberately talk about the availability of life changing opportunities and
jobs in the destination countries. At this time they know nothing about the challenges
waiting ahead in the transit town and in their travel to the destination country.
Box 5
A Case Story Showing the Promise of Good Opportunities
“He told me life was paradise at Dubai. He said I could have the ability to change my life
and the life of my family.”
A victim from Nolawi

2. Fee Overcharging by Traffickers

According to a study done by ILO, traffickers paid 3,000-5,000 birr on average. These
traffickers took their share and send the rest to the transit town traffickers took their share
and send the rest to the transit town traffickers and inform the migrants that the money they
paid is only used to facilitate their exit out of the country, not to cover other costs like food
and transportation cost. Thus based on the original agreement migrants are not expected to

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make another payment to transit town traffickers. However, contrary to the original
agreement reached at Addis Ababa some transit town traffickers force migrants to make
additional payments.
Traffickers use different methods in order to make the migrants pay additional fees. Some
traffickers directly ask them to pay additional payment by mentioning false pretexts of
securing them a decent and well paid job. Sometimes some traffickers who are paid to
facilitate the trafficking purposely disappear from the town and send another trafficker to
negotiate a new deal. Then the new trafficker will tell the migrants that the man who was
supposed to facilitate their trafficking has disappeared and let them know he will send them
to the next transit area if they pay him a certain amount of money. Many victims of
trafficking are lured into debt bondage and prostitution, to pay the additional payment asked
by the traffickers.
3. Sexual Harassment and Other related Problems
Traffickers harass migrants both sexually and psychologically. Many migrants stated that
they were badly treated by the traffickers and their agents while they were in the holding
place. Among other things, migrants, most of the time girls and women, were insulted and
psychologically demoralized by the traffickers, sometimes when the condition got worse the
insult and the verbal harassment will be transformed into real sexual attacks including rape
and beating. At the holding places, many migrants are kept together in a single room, the
traffickers or their agents do not dare to rape or sexually harass women in front of other
migrants.
Box 6
A Case Story Showing the Sexual Harassment Problems
“They came at night and took one of the girls. She was scared and screaming, but no one,
including myself, did anything to help her. We just told ourselves that we couldn’t do
anything and just hoped for the nightmare to be over.”
A returnee at AGAR

The traffickers took the women to another place and do whatever they wish. Migrants are
strongly warned to stay in the holding place. Any person who refuses to stay in that place or
anyone who complains about the situations of the place will be beaten by the traffickers or
left alone without food and water for days.
4. Crossing the Border, Walking through the Desert
The misery of the victims does not end at the transit town, rather it continues till they reach
the destination country and after that too. To enter to the destination country migrants have
to walk through the desert for many days. They spend several days and nights of walking
and within these days migrants face challenges, which are worst than the problems they
experienced in the transit places. Among these problems are: rape and related problems;
unger and thirst; and death, etc.

Intervention to Combat Human Trafficking for Labor Purposes and forced Labor
Considering the high prevalence and complexity of the problem, effective responses demand
a coordinated, multi-level and multi-sectoral approach. An effective and comprehensive

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response to human trafficking should include measures for preventing, protecting, and
supporting victims of trafficking, while appropriate measures are taken to prosecute
traffickers. It is also critical that governmental, intergovernmental, nongovernmental and
private organizations cooperate in their efforts to prevent and protect victims of human
trafficking and prosecute traffickers.
1. Prevention
There are a number of efforts that have been made to prevent external trafficking in persons
by governmental and non-governmental organizations. Most of those prevention efforts
focus on raising awareness among potential victims and families in order to warn them about
the risks of trafficking. Other efforts aim at collecting information and researching the root
causes and patterns of human trafficking. The efforts include setting appropriate legal,
policy and institutional frameworks; bilateral labor agreements; public awareness
campaigns; devising a labor market information system; utilization of model employment
contract; improvement of employment and vocational training; and monitoring of PEAs.
2. Legal Framework
Ethiopia does not have a comprehensive legal framework that defines human trafficking;
provides adequate protection to victims; and enables to effectively combat and prevent
trafficking in persons. However, key provisions under the Ethiopian Constitution, Criminal
Code and Employment Exchange Services Proclamation N0. 632/2009, as well as in
international instruments ratified by Ethiopia, prohibits and criminalizes trafficking in
persons for labor purposes.
The Constitution prohibits trafficking in persons for whatever purpose (article 18 (2))
Ethiopia has also ratified most of the relevant UN conventions, as well as a number of ILO
conventions that can be instrumental in dealing with trafficking in persons and labor
exploitation. Instruments that have direct relevance to human trafficking include: The UN
convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the
Prostitution of Others, 1949; The UN convention against Transnational Organized Crime,
December 2000; ILO convention No. 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labor, 1957; ILO
convention No. 181 on Private Employment Agencies, 1997; ILO convention No. 111 on
Discrimination, 1958; UN convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, 1979; ILO convention No. 182 on the Worst forms of Child Labor, 1999;
UN convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989; and The African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child, 1999.
3. Protection
Protection measures aim at providing support services to victims of exploitation and abuse
also to reduce the risk of secondary victimization by the same authorities that are entrusted
to provide support. Considering the fact that most of the migrant domestic workers work and
live with their employer, protection measures should also ensure that future exploitation and
abuse do not occur.
To protect its citizens and save the Embassy/Consulate from being over-flooded by runaway
or standard migrant workers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia provides temporary
shelter to victims of trafficking and abused migrant workers. However, several victims have
confirmed that the assistance provided by Ethiopian missions is minimal and staff members
are not necessarily caring and understanding. The representative of Ministry of Foreign

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Affairs admitted that the financial and human resources allocated to Ethiopian missions are
rather limited compared to the workload and demand for services (ILO, 2011).
4. Prosecution
Human trafficking investigation and prosecution require careful and humane treatment of
victims and witnesses, upon whose testimony the prosecution depends. As trafficking in
persons is a transnational crime, prosecution requires a regional cooperation to ensure
collaboration in collecting and sharing of information and evidences.
Both the police and prosecutors complain that the only option to prosecute trafficking in
humans is by using article 598 because both article 597 and 635 deal with trafficking in
women and children, and by proving that they will be forced to work once they arrive at
destination country. Article 596 only deals with situations where the victim is forcibly
enslaved. This article cannot be applied in cases where the trafficker used fraudulent
information or deception to traffic the victim. They further complain that article 598 is not
comprehensive enough to prosecute all those involved in the process of recruitment,
transferring, harboring or receipt of victims. Another challenge is the fact that even where
the traffickers are found guilty, the punishment set is minimal compared to the gravity of the
crime of trafficking and the profit that traffickers make.
Opportunities for training on trafficking in persons are very limited. As a result, there is
limited understanding of the concept of trafficking in persons, as well as capacity in
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. The Ministry of Justice and IOM have
provided training for police, prosecutors, judges and immigration officials on the law,
investigation techniques and services available to victims of human trafficking. In 2009, the
Federal Supreme Court’s Justice Professionals Training Centre incorporated a module on
trafficking in human beings into its routine training programs. However, training needs are
huge and the training provided is neither regular nor systematic, and is only provided
depending on available resources and experts.
Findings
Working on this paper was truly a challenge but eventually the following findings were
obtained.
The major cause or reason for resorting to human trafficking is the issue of
unemployment and absence of viable source of income.
Most of the victims can be viewed as adults, in that they are above 18 years of
age.
Majority victims are female.
Majority victims stopped their education at the tenth grade. Some may have
passed to twelfth grade but have not progressed after that.
Majority of the victims are either the eldest of their siblings or the only child of
their family.
The Victims prefer human trafficking, knowing all of its consequences, because
they know at least one person who is successful after having passed through the
misery.
There isn’t enough awareness created about the issue.
Returnees have got back on their feet through various trainings provided by the
government.

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 The incidence has not decreased in the past year, no matter how hard the
government has tried.
4. Conclusions and Recommendations
4.1. Conclusions
Human trafficking is the practice of people being tricked, lured, coerced or otherwise
removed from their home or country, and then forced to work with no or low payment or on
terms which are highly exploitative. The practice is considered to be the trade or commerce
in people, which has many features of slavery, and which is illegal in most countries.
This study was conducted for the purpose of exploring and understanding the causes of
human trafficking and the multifaceted challenges faced by trafficked persons during the
trafficking process, by stressing on the cases of trafficking victims in Addis Ababa.
Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were applied to obtain data from
the victims at the study site. The study has identified different economic, social and cultural
factors as main causes of trafficking. Such factors as poverty, the desire to improve one’s
life, lack of opportunity and low payment for domestic work were mentioned by the
informants as main causes of trafficking in Ethiopia. Added to this, migration policy of
countries, promises of steady employment, pressure from the society, success stories told by
migrants, low level of education, failure in education, forced marriage and abusive family
conditions were also among the socio-cultural factors identified in the study as contributing
factors to trafficking.
The study has also sought to explore the trafficking process and the multifaceted problems
being faced by the trafficking victims in the process.
Different studies have been conducted in Ethiopia in the area of human trafficking. Most of
the studies conducted so far were mainly focused on the problems that trafficking victims
experience in the destination places while they were at work in a foreign land. These studies
explored the expectations, life experiences of trafficked persons, and different problems they
faced in the destination country. Yet destination countries are not the only places where
trafficking victims experience problems. This study revealed that trafficked persons
experience multifaceted problems in the trafficking process, starting from their place of
origin till they reach the destination country.
4.2. Recommendation
Primarily depending on the major findings of the study, I recommend the following points
for concerned governmental and nongovernmental bodies and organizations, and for
researchers who want to research the issue of human trafficking.
There is a need to have a clear and coherent policy and a national action plan on labor
migration and trafficking in persons to increase the legal risk associated with trafficking.
The policy should take into consideration the gender aspect of labor migration and
trafficking in persons. As human trafficking is mostly a transnational phenomenon involving
various countries, a national, regional and international cooperation framework needs to be
established.
Government and nongovernmental bodies should develop programs that offer livelihood
options, including basic education, skills training and literacy, especially for women and
other traditionally disadvantaged groups as they are more vulnerable to trafficking.

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Developing information campaigns for the general public aimed at promoting awareness of
the dangers associated with trafficking. Such campaigns should be informed by an
understanding of the complexities surrounding trafficking and of the reasons why
individuals may make potentially dangerous migration decisions. The awareness creation
campaigns shall ensure that potential migrants, especially women, are properly informed
about the risks of migration (exploitation, debt bondage, and health and security issues) as
well as avenues available for legal, non-exploitative migration.
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