Human trafficking in Ethiopia

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In 2009 Ethiopia was a source country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically conditions of forced labor and forced prostitution. Girls from Ethiopia's rural areas were forced into domestic servitude and, less frequently, commercial sexual exploitation, while boys were subjected to forced labor in traditional weaving, gold mining, agriculture, herding, and street vending. Small numbers of Ethiopian girls were forced into domestic servitude outside Ethiopia, primarily in Djibouti and Sudan, while Ethiopian boys were subjected to forced labor in Djibouti as shop assistants and errand boys.^[1]

Women from all parts of Ethiopia are subjected to involuntary domestic servitude throughout the Middle East and in Sudan, and many transit through Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen as they migrate to labor destinations. Ethiopian women in the Middle East face severe abuses, including physical and sexual assault, denial of salary, sleep deprivation, confinement, incarceration, and murder. Many are driven to despair and mental illness; some commit suicide. Some women are exploited in the sex trade after arriving at their destinations, particularly in brothels and near oil fields in Sudan.^[1]

Small numbers of low-skilled Ethiopian men migrate to Saudi Arabia, Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and other African nations, where they are subjected to forced labor. During the year, the Somali Regional Security and Administration Office increased recruitment for Special Police Forces and local militias. It was reported that both government-supported forces and insurgent groups in the Degehabur and Fiq Zones unlawfully recruited children, though these allegations could not be conclusively verified.^[1]

The Government of Ethiopia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government made progress over the past year in addressing transnational trafficking through significantly increased law enforcement efforts. Due in part to the establishment of the Human Trafficking and Narcotics Section in the Organized Crime Investigation Unit of the Federal Police, there was an increased emphasis on investigation and prosecution of international trafficking crimes, although the continued lack of investigations and prosecutions of internal trafficking crimes remained a concern. The government maintained its efforts to provide assistance to child trafficking victims identified in the capital region.^[1]

The U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed Ethiopia in "Tier 2" in 2017^[2] and in 2023.^[3]

The country ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in June 2012.^[4]

In 2023, the Organised Crime Index gave Ethiopia a score of 8 out of 10 for human trafficking, noting that the Ethiopian-Tigray war and other armed conflicts have both limited the government’s work on preventing trafficking and boosted the number of vulnerable people in the country.^[5]

An independent report in 2023 noted that the Horn of Africa (especially Djibouti) is a major transit point for Ethiopians being trafficked to Saudi Arabia, with an average of 12,000 people travelling through the country each month.^[6]