Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Ethiopia denies reports about Yemen migrants' drowning

Ethiopia denies reports about Yemen migrants' drowning
file photo

Foreign Ministry spokesperson denies reports of drowning, saying reports are baseless propaganda.


World Bulletin / News Desk
 
Ethiopian authorities have denied media reports about the drowning of around 70 Ethiopian migrants off Yemen's coast.
"Media reports that 70 people died, mostly Ethiopians, while being ferried to Yemen is baseless," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dina Mufti told The Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
Media reports earlier said that around 70 Ethiopian migrants had drowned off southwest Yemen's coast earlier this month.
Mufti said that the Ethiopian embassy in Yemen mustered support from the Yemeni 17th Brigade and "conducted extensive search on a perimeter of 250– 300-km at coastal areas such as Bab-el Mendab, Dubab and Muha"
"[It] proved that no boat capsized or sunk and no life lost," he said.
The spokesman said that "The falsified reports may be part of the usual propaganda targeted at Ethiopia's development and democratization."
Yemen is viewed by many migrants as a gateway to the Middle East or Europe.
The UN refugee agency said in October that more than 200 people had died at sea in 2014 while attempting to reach Yemen.


=>worldbulletin

BIDDEENA NAMA QUUBSU, EELEE IRRATTI BEEKU !!!!

SEENAA  Y.G (2005) | Muddee 31, 2014
Bara 2014 Seenaa Qabsoo Ummata OROMOO keessatti bakka ol aanaa qaba jedheen amana. Bara 2014 kana keessa Mooraa Qabsoo Oromoo tasgabbeessuu keessatti hojii nama jajjabeessuutu hojjatame.Ummata Biyya keessaaf birmachuudhaan , hojiin boonsaan hojjatameera. Ilmaan Oromoo irra jireessi, maal gochuu qabna? ? jedhanii akka of gaafatanii fi furmaata isaaf, wal Tumsee Biyya keessaa fi alatti yeroo itti waliif dhaabbateedha. Fedhiin Ummata OROMOO maal akka ta’e ifatti ,Addunyaafis, diinaafis, firaafis, kan karaa irraa maqee Ummatichaaf humnaan murteessuu barbaadufis, hubannoo ga’a akka horatu taasiseera. Sochii Bara 2015f Barri 2014 bu’uradha. Waan bara kana keessa irra geenye gonkumaa duubatti akka hin deebifneef, hundumtuu of kennee hanga Bilisummaatti qooda dhuunfaa hanga Ummataatti irraa eegamu gumaachuuf akka socha’uu abdiin qaba. falli qabnus kanuma . 
Bara 2014 xumuraa jirru kana keessa, akka lammii tokkotti waliif dhaamun numa jirti.Gabrummaa keessatti hiraaraa, Baga bara haaraa geesseen kun anaaf…….warri Bilisummaan jiran bara haaraa waan haaraa waliin waliif dhaaman. Nuuti woo ? jedheen yaada. Saba gabrummaa keessa jiruuf bara haaraan hiikkaa qabaa laata ? Umurii haaraaf yoo ta’ee hayyee . Bara Qabsoo keenya itti finiinsinu yoo jenne ni ta’a. kana yeroo biraa itti deebina. Qabsoo keenya jabeessuuf murteeffannee yoo ta’ee waa sadii irratti waadaa ofii fi waliif seenuun tarkaanfi jalaqabaati. 1ffaa-, keessa keenyatti rakkoo uumuu danda’an hundaa irraa fagaachuu fi Qabsoo ofii tikisuu, kunis, waan kaleessa nu diife, gargar nu baasuu wal afoo ykn wal dura nu hdaabe,shira diinaa fi fira fakkaattootaa irraa of fi qabsoo tikifachuudha. 2ffaa- Wareegama waa maraa kafallee Bilisummaa Ummata keenyaa dhugoomsuuf hojjachuudha. Humnaa fi dandeettiin akkasumas Beekumsaan qabsoo kana tinnisuu, deeggaruu, kan danda’u qaamaan keessatti argamee, kan hin taaneef waan qabsoo kana jabaeessuuf gargaaruun wal Tumsuudha. 3ffaan- Ilaalchaan, Amantiin kkf adda baanuus, Dhimma Oromoo fi Oromiyaa irratti waliin dhaabbachuu fi falmachuuf yoo murteeffannee diina qofa irratti xiyyeeffannee milkoofna.
Har’a dhala Oromoo Gabrummaa hadheeffatee waregamuuf qophaa’ee jirutti waan dhaaman yoo jiraate, cichoomiinaan Qabsoofne malee hiraarrii har’aa keessaa ba’uu akka hin dandeenyedha.Qabsoo gama hundaa , kan wal irraa hin cinnee, abshaalummaa diinaan kan hin dhaabbannee Finiinsuuf hojjachuu akka qabuudha. Qabsoo nuuti gama barbaannuun gaggeessinuuf garuu keessa of tikifachuu, holola hamilee wal cabsuu irraa of qusachuu, wal tuffachuu fi wal abaaruu dhiisuu kkf hanqisuun murteessaa ta’uun wal nama hin gaafachiisu. Qaawwaa rakkoo keenya bal’isan irraa of eeguu, maal na dhibeen waa katabuu fi dubbachuu dhiisuu kkf irraa of qusannee, wal dhaggeeffannee tarkaanfannaan, sochii bara 2015, Gootummaa Oromoo dhugeessuu dandeenya. Anis Barruu kiyya Bara 2014 kan xumuraa fi seenasa bara 2015 kanaan, qabxiilee  keessa keenya jabeessuu danda’an kaa’uun barbaada.
  1. Midiyaalee qabnu ilaalchisee :- Teekinoolojii hammayyaa kanaan wal qabatee Ilmaan Oromoo dhimma Ummataa fi qabsoo Ummata isaanii irratti qooda mataa isaanii gumaachuuf akka dhuunfaattis, akka waloottis hojiin hojjataa jiran , qabsoo keenyaaf bu’ura ta’uu irra ga’aniiru jedheen fudhadha. Midiyaa jabaa fi humna qabu, waa hundaan Ummata kana bakka bu’u qabaannee odoo hin taanee, kan jiru mataan isaa bu’aan argamsiisaa jiru guddaadha. Kana caalaa akka guddachuu danda’an hin shakku. Bu’aa miidiyaalee kanaa hubachaa gaafa deemnuu fi Oromoonni bu’aa isaatti amanaa dhufan, walitti dhufanii waan Ummata Oromoon wal gitu akka gadi dhaaban mamii hin qabu. Midiyaalee hundaa ta’uu baatuus, muraasnii akkaataa yaadoota Namootaa itti keessummeessaa jiran qabsoo kanaaf bu’aa buusa jedhee hin yaadu. har’a kan qooqa keenya baratee qixxee keenya katabuu fi dubbisu hedduudha. Waan nuuti hojjannu fashalsuuf kan irra oolee bulu lakkoofsa hin qabu. Kanaaf Dimokiraasii tasumaa addunyaa keessa hin jirreen, Namooonni akka barbaadan Qabsicha, Hogganoota, Beektoota, kkf salphisan keessummeessuun gawwummaa natti fakkaata. Yaadi hin laatamiin jechaa hin jiru. yaada Ummataan ala eessayyuu hin ga’amu. Garuu,Kan deebi’ee mataa keenya salphisuf bakka laachuun sirri natti hin faakkaatu. Qabsoo keenya keessatti tasgabbiin akka jiraatu yoo barbaadamee, arrabsoo eessaanuu nu hin geenyef bakka laachuu haa dhiifnuu. Kun eessaanu nu hin ga’u. kan qabsoo ummatichaa jabeessu, jajjabeessaa , deemuun, kan ta’ee jedhee waa busheessuuf irriiba dhabu ammoo dantaa qabsoo kanaaf jennee dhaabunii qabna.waan keessa keenyatti dhumachuu qabu keessa keenyatti akka fixannuu fi itti baha isaa qofa Ummatatti himuun akka danda’amu odoo taasifamee.
  2. Qabsoo Tumsuu ilaalchisee :- Qabsoo Abbaa Biyyummaa Ummata tokko milkeessuuf, qabsoon Ummatichaa wal utubee akka tarkaanfatu taasisuun dirqama. Kanaaf Hawaasi Oromoo Biyyoota hambaa jiraatan, akka dhaabaatti , akka waldaatti, akka komoniititti, akka Afooshaatti, akka Hawaasaatti kkf gurmaa’anii kan jiraanii fi gurmaa’uuf yaadaa jiran, sochii isaanii isa kaan walii qindeeffachuu barbaachisaa ta’uu beeku qaban. Waldaaleen, Kominiitiin kkf Qabsoo Ummata tokko keessatti qooda ol aanaa gumaachan. Dhaabni siyaasaa tokko Ummata isaa bifa kanaan gurmeessee akka sochoosu beekamaadha. kanneen caasaa akkasii keessatti hin hammatamiin, qabsoo keessatti hiriirsuu fi qooda isaanii akka gumaachan taasisuun murteessaadha. Kanaaf waliin dubbachuun gaariidha.Qabsicha tumsuuf sochii isaanii dhaaboota siyaasaan qindeeffachuun barbaachisaadha. kanaaf Qabsoo Ummata Oromoo walii galaa mirkaneessuuf ykn milkeessuuf, qaamni Hawaasi Oromoo eessayyuu jiru, sagantaa kana keessatti hammatamee sochii Biyya keessaa fi alatti gaggeeffamu bifa qindaa’een akka tarkaanfatuuf qooda isaa gumaachuun barbaachisaadha.
  3. Xalayaa ABOn, UNtti erguu ilaalchisee: Dhimma Ummata Oromoon wal qabateen, ABO Xalayaa UNf katabuu beeksiseera. Dhimma kana irratti yaadootni Intarneeta irratti dhihaatan hedduu. Kana keessatti , yaadi diinaa , yaadi warra  hojii dhabee, yaadi warra abdii kutatee, yaadi warra Bilisummaa siree irratti eeggatuu, yaadi warra qeequmaaf jiraatanii, yaadi deeggarsaas inuma jira. Kan caalaatti na dhibe garuu , diinni ifatti katabee dhimmicha busheessuu wayita barbaadu, warri qeequmaaf jarjaran guuza ykn daboo ba’uu isaaniiti. ABOn qaama kamiifu dhimma Ummata isaa irratti iyyachuuf mirga qaba. kun ammoo, kaayyoo isaa keessaa tokko. Boruu Biyya ta’uuf deemna ega ta’ee, Mataa Biyyootaaf Iyyachuun mudaa maalii qaba ? tarii dukkana keessa ykn abdii kutannaa keessa teenyee jirraaf yoo ta’ee malee, Alaabaa Oromoo Oromiyaa keessatti dhaabuutti aanee, Alaabaa keenya lammaffaa Mooraa Dhaabbata Mootummoota Gmatoomanii keessa dhaabuuf Ummati Oromoo itti dhumaa jiraa mitii ? beekumtii isaanii malee wanni ta’u jiraa ? humna qofaa ega jennee, Filitsxeemoota caalaa kan diina hiraarse jiraa ? Warri Sudaan kibbaa humnaan fudhatanii ? gama Biraan, yoo kaasuun barbaachisees, wayyaanee kan nu irratti goobsaa jiruu fi maallaqa liqeessaafii jiru, dhaabbilee misoomaa fi Baankilee dhaabbaticha jalatti bulaa jiranii miti ? maarree isaaniin kana beeksiisuun Ummata miidhaa jiraachuu isaanii itti himuu mitii ? Qawween falamannee Oromiyaa dhuunfannaan waan jajjabeeffamuu qabuudha. Qawwee kana garuu inni kaan baatee wareegamee, Bilisummaa akka manatti nu fiduuf odoo hin taanee, nuuti keessatti kan hirmaannu faarsuu qabna. Waan ofii hojjannus ni tuffanna. Waan addunyaan jala bultus ni tuffanna. Kun eessaan nu ga’a ??? wayyaaneen ABO Gooleessaa jettee Galmee addunyaa irratti galmeesisuuf eenyutti iyyachaa jirti. Humni Goolessummaa addunyaa irraa falmaa jiru eenyu jalatti gaggeeffamaa jira ? Biyyoonni wayyaanee gargaaraa jiranii fi Ummata keenya fixaa akka jiraatu taasisaa jiran, kanneen akka chaayinaa, Ameerikaa, Raashiyaa, Ingilizii, Faransaa kkf gaaffii Ummati Oromoo qabu akka ukkaamsaniif sochi isaan taasisan irra jireessa dhaabbatuma kana jalatti mitii ? waa hedduu kaasuun danda’ama. Filitsixeemoonni Bilisummaan isaanii akka harkifatu kan taasisees, har’a ammoo ariifachiisaa kan jirus, dhaabbatuma kanadha. Kan keenya irra wayita ga’u tuffatamun tarii ilaalcha diinaa ta’uu danda’a. kanaaf waan jajjabeeffamu qabu jajjabeessuun wallaalaa nama hin jachisiisu. Wallaalummaan waan ifatti beekamu haaluudha. Ija ashaboon dhiqatanii hololuudha.wayyaaneen har’a koree tokko Biyya alaatti ijaartee, waan intarneetaa hundaa akka hordofanii fi bifa amma argaa jirruun akka busheessan taasisaa jiraachuu hubadhaa. Kanaaf waa hundaa irratti ilaallachaa sirbaan dhaamsa kiyya.
  4. OMN ilaalchisee :- Ilmaan Oromoo OMN ijaarree Ummata keenyaaf bu’aa tokko argamsiifna jedhanii ka’uun yaaduma gaariidha. Kan deeggaramu qabudhas. Yeroo hedduu Ilmaan Oromoo qabsoo Ummata kanaaf gumaacha goonaa jedhanii wanni ijaaran , irra jireessa rakkooma keessa isaanii madduun deebi’anii dhaamu. Kun maaliif jedhee qoratee deebii quubsaa argatee hundee isaa tolfatu hin agarre. Hundumtu karaama tokko irra ka’anii deebi’anii taa’aan. Waan ijaarru tokko bu’ura qabaachuu qaba. maaliif akka ijaaramu, adeemsa akkamii akka qabaatu, galiin isaa maal akka ta’e, sagantaa yeroo gabaabaa fi dheeraa, gufuulee nu mudachuu danda’u jedhanii fi kkf dursee yeroo fudhatee irratti hojjachuu barbaachisa. OMN irratti rakkoo dhalatee jiruuf maddi isaa iftummaadha. Adeemsa hojjii , hojii yennaa eegallu haala akkasiin of beeksifna, yeroo kana keessatti kana gadhiifna, kana kan gaggeessuu fi sochii kana Ummatatti beeksisu koree akkasiidhaa, kkf jedhamee tartiiba dhabuutu , waan Ummataaf dhaabbate jedhame kan nama dhuunfaa fakkeesse.Ummati Oromoo qaamni kamu maqaa isaan yennaa gurmaa’uu fi of beeksiisu hanga dhumaatti deemee qorachuu akka hin dhiifne beeku barbaachisa. kanaaf gaaffiilee haala kanaan ka’uu danda’an gamanumaa of gaafatanii deebii qopheeffachuutu gaariidha. Sirbaa eegallee bo’aa gadi taa’uun maddi isaa fageessanii yaadu dhabuudha. Mana ijaarru hundaa , fedhii fi Ilaacha akkasumas, aadaa ummatichaa irratti bu’ureffannee yoo hin taanee rakkoo dhalchuun isaa hin hafu. Rakkoon dhalate jedhamee ka’ee jabaa ta’ee mul’ate garuu hin jiru. komeen Ummataa gaariis ta’uu badaa, waan gaarii fi badaa kana kan uume OMN mataa isaatii . waan hangana bal’ifamee irratti hololamu tokkollee keessa hin jiru. ofumaa dubbiin daangaa dabree, Oromoonni wal fixan akka jedhamee nutti kolfamu taasisee malee, bu’aan argamsiise hin jiru. silaa muuxannoo waggaa 100 oliin kana hiikkachuun salphaadha. Bakka lama dhaabbachuutu dubbii hammeesse. Nuuti Dimokiraatawaadhaas ni jenna, isa addunyaa ittiin wal nyaattunis ni tarkaafanna. Kanatu wal dhahe malee, dubbiin jiru Maanguddoo Oromoo tokkon ka hiikamtuudha.ammas OMN rakkoo isaa miidiyaama isaa irratti of salphisuu odoo hin taanee, wayyaanee salphisuu fi dhimma Oromoo irratti hojjachuu fi kanas cichoomiinaan itti fufutu komee Ummataa keessaa isa baasa. Miidiyaa Ummata kanaaf jedhamee banamee fi Ummati maalan irraa argaa ? jedhee guyyuu jala taa’aa ooluuf, rakkoo keessa ofiin wal unkuraa jiraachuu mul’isaa ooluun Dimokiraasii isa akkamii akka ta’ee naaf hin galu. Of tumachaa ooluu keessaa haa baanuun jedha.
Maddi yaadoota ani kaasee, sochii bara 2014 dha.bara 2014 ammoo Biddeen nama quubsuu, eelee irratti beekunin itti mammaake. Na qabuubsinaan. qabxiilee hafan BARA 2015 keessan qabadhee dhihaadha. Barri 2015 Bara OROMOON humna ta’ee itti ba’uu nuuf haa ta’u. bara 2014 keessa kanneen yaada ijaaraa naaf kennitan guddoo Galatoomaa.
HORAA BULAA !!!


Ethiopia 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report

OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS



Ethiopia is a source and, to a lesser extent, destination and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Girls from Ethiopia’s rural areas are exploited in domestic servitude and, less frequently, prostitution within the country, while boys are subjected to forced labor in traditional weaving, herding, guarding, and street vending. The central market in Addis Ababa is home to the largest collection of brothels in Africa, with girls as young as 8-years-old in prostitution in these establishments. Ethiopian girls are forced into domestic servitude and prostitution outside of Ethiopia, primarily in Djibouti, South Sudan, and in the Middle East. Ethiopian boys are subjected to forced labor in Djibouti as shop assistants, errand boys, domestic workers, thieves, and street beggars. Young people from Ethiopia’s vast rural areas are aggressively recruited with promises of a better life and are likely targeted because of the demand for cheap domestic labor in the Middle East.

Many young Ethiopians transit through Djibouti, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, or Yemen as they emigrate seeking work in the Middle East; some become stranded and exploited in these transit countries, and are subjected to detention, extortion, and severe abuses—some of which include forced labor and sex trafficking—while en route to their final destinations. Young women are subjected to domestic servitude throughout the Middle East, as well as in Sudan and South Sudan. Many Ethiopian women working in domestic service in the Middle East face severe abuses, including physical and sexual assault, denial of salary, sleep deprivation, withholding of passports, confinement, and even murder. Ethiopian women are sometimes exploited in the sex trade after migrating for labor purposes—particularly in brothels, mining camps, and near oil fields in Sudan and South Sudan—or after fleeing abusive employers in the Middle East. Low-skilled Ethiopian men and boys migrate to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and other African nations, where some are subjected to forced labor. In October 2013, the Ethiopian government banned overseas labor recruitment. Preceding the ban, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) officials reported that up to 1,500 Ethiopians departed daily as part of the legal migration process. Officials estimated this likely represented only 30 to 40 percent of those migrating for work; the remaining 60 to 70 percent were smuggled with the facilitation of illegal brokers. Brokers serve as the primary recruiters in rural areas. Over 400 employment agencies were licensed to recruit Ethiopians for work abroad; however, government officials acknowledged many to be involved in both legal and illegal recruitment, leading to the government’s ban on labor export. Following the ban, irregular labor migration through Sudan is believed to have increased. Eritreans residing in Ethiopia-based refugee camps, some of whom voluntarily migrate out of the camps, and others who are lured or abducted from the camps, face situations of human trafficking in Sudan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Since November 2013, the Saudi Arabian government has deported over 163,000 Ethiopians, including over 94,000 men working mostly in the construction sector and over 8,000 children working in cattle herding and domestic service; international organizations and Ethiopian officials believe thousands were likely trafficking victims. Many migrants reported not having repaid debts to those who smuggled them to Saudi Arabia, rendering some of them at risk for re-trafficking.

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 Federal High Court convicted 106 traffickers and worked with international partners to shelter and provide emergency care to trafficking victims. In 2013, following an influx of trafficking victims returning to Ethiopia, the government recognized problems with its oversight of Ethiopian-based employment agencies, which were failing to protect workers sent overseas. In response, the government temporarily banned labor recruitment and began to revise the relevant employment proclamation to ensure improved oversight of these agencies and better protection of its citizens while working abroad. The government facilitated the return of thousands of Ethiopians, including many likely trafficking victims, deported from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere during the reporting period, and coordinated with NGOs and international organizations to provide services to the returning migrants. The government relied on NGOs to provide direct assistance to both internal and transnational trafficking victims and did not provide financial or in-kind support to such organizations. The government did not deploy labor attachés or improve the availability of protective services offered by its overseas diplomatic missions. The absence of government-organized trainings in 2013 was a concern. The government also did not effectively address child prostitution and other forms of internal trafficking through law enforcement, protection, or prevention efforts. It did not report on the number of victims it identified in 2013.

Recommendations for Ethiopia:

Complete amendments to the employment exchange proclamation to ensure penalization of illegal recruitment and improved oversight of overseas recruitment agencies; strengthen criminal code penalties for sex trafficking and amend criminal code Articles 597 and 635 to include a clear definition of human trafficking that includes the trafficking of male victims and enhanced penalties that are commensurate with other serious crimes; enhance judicial understanding of trafficking and improve the investigative capacity of police throughout the country to allow for more prosecutions of internal child trafficking offenses; increase the use of Articles 596, 597, and 635 to prosecute cases of labor and sex trafficking; improve screening procedures in the distribution of national identification cards and passports to ensure children are not fraudulently acquiring these; allocate appropriate funding for the deployment of labor attachés to overseas diplomatic missions; institute regular trafficking awareness training for diplomats posted abroad, as well as labor officials who validate employment contracts or regulate employment agencies, to ensure the protection of Ethiopians seeking work or employed overseas; incorporate information on human trafficking and labor rights in Middle Eastern and other countries into pre-departure training provided to migrant workers; engage Middle Eastern governments on improving protections for Ethiopian workers; partner with local NGOs to increase the level of services available to trafficking victims returning from overseas, including allocating funding to enable the continuous operation of either a government or NGO-run shelter; improve the productivity of the national anti-trafficking taskforce; and launch a national anti-trafficking awareness campaign at the local and regional levels.

Prosecution

The Government of Ethiopia maintained its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts during the reporting period, but its efforts continued to focus wholly on transnational trafficking, with little evidence that the government investigated or prosecuted sex trafficking or internal labor trafficking cases. Ethiopia prohibits sex and labor trafficking through criminal code Articles 596 (Enslavement), 597 (Trafficking in Women and Children), 635 (Traffic in Women and Minors), and 636 (Aggravation to the Crime). Article 635, which prohibits sex trafficking, prescribes punishments not exceeding five years’ imprisonment, penalties which are sufficiently stringent, though not commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Articles 596 and 597 outlaw slavery and labor trafficking and prescribe punishments of five to 20 years’ imprisonment, penalties which are sufficiently stringent. Articles 597 and 635, however, lack a clear definition of human trafficking, do not include coverage for crimes committed against adult male victims, and have rarely been used to prosecute trafficking offenses. Instead, Articles 598 (Unlawful Sending of Ethiopians to Work Abroad) and 571 (Endangering the Life of Another) are regularly used to prosecute cases of transnational labor trafficking. The absence of a clear legal definition of human trafficking in law impeded the Ethiopian Federal Police’s (EFP) and Ministry of Justice’s ability to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases effectively. Officials began drafting amendments to the Employment Exchange Services Proclamation No. 632/2009, which governs the work of approximately 400 licensed labor recruitment agencies; planned amendments will prohibit illegal recruitment and improve oversight of recruitment agencies.

During the reporting period, the EFP’s Human Trafficking and Narcotics Section, located within the Organized Crime Investigation Unit, investigated 135 suspected trafficking cases—compared to 133 cases in the previous reporting period. The federal government reported prosecuting 137 cases involving an unknown number of defendants relating to transnational labor trafficking under Article 598; of these cases, the Federal High Court convicted 106 labor traffickers—compared to 100 labor traffickers convicted in the previous reporting period. Officials indicated that these prosecutions included cases against private employment agencies and brokers, but did not provide details on these cases or the average length of applied sentences. Between June and July 2013, courts in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) reportedly heard 267 cases involving illegal smugglers and brokers. In addition, in Gamo Gofa, a zone within SNNPR, the zonal court convicted six traffickers in 2013—the first convictions in that area’s history. The EFP investigated allegations of complicity in trafficking-related crimes involving staff at several foreign diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa; the EFP arrested several staff at these missions.

In 2013, the government did not initiate any sex trafficking prosecutions, including for child prostitution. It also did not demonstrate adequate efforts to investigate and prosecute internal trafficking crimes or support and empower regional authorities to effectively do so. Regional law enforcement entities throughout the country continued to exhibit an inability to distinguish human trafficking from human smuggling and lacked capacity to properly investigate and document cases, as well as to collect and organize relevant data. In addition, the government remained limited in its ability to conduct international investigations. The government did not provide or fund trafficking-specific trainings for law enforcement officials, though police and other officials received training from international organizations with governmental support during the year. Seventy-seven judges also received training on both child labor and human trafficking. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of public officials allegedly complicit in human trafficking or trafficking-related offenses. For example, reports suggest local kabele or district level officials accepted bribes to change the ages on district-issued identification cards, enabling children to receive passports without parental consent; passport issuance authorities did not question the validity of such identification documents or the ages of applicants.

Protection

The government did not provide adequate assistance to trafficking victims—both those exploited internally or after migrating overseas—relying almost exclusively on international organizations and NGOs to provide services to victims without providing funding to these organizations. However, following the Saudi Arabian government’s closure of its border and massive deportation of migrant workers, officials worked quickly and collaboratively with international organizations and NGOs to repatriate and accommodate over 163,000 Ethiopian returnees from Saudi Arabia and several hundred from Yemen. The government did not report the number of victims it identified and assisted during the year. It remained without standard procedures for front-line responders to guide their identification of trafficking victims and their referral to care. During the reporting period, following the return of Ethiopians exploited overseas, the Bole International Airport Authority and immigration officials in Addis Ababa referred an unknown number of female victims to eleven local NGOs that provided care specific to trafficking victims. Typically such referrals were made only at the behest of self-identified victims of trafficking. One organization assisted 70 trafficking victims during the year—often from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, and Lebanon—providing shelter, food, clothing, medical and psychological treatment without government support. The government’s reliance on NGOs to provide direct assistance to most trafficking victims, while not providing financial or in-kind support to such NGOs, resulted in unpredictable availability of adequate care; many facilities lacked sustainability as they depended on project-based funding for continued operation. Despite its reliance on NGOs to provide victims care, the government at times created challenges for these organizations as a result of its 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation. This proclamation prohibits organizations that receive more than 10 percent of their funding from foreign sources from engaging in activities that promote—among other things—human rights, the rights of children and persons with disabilities, and justice. These restrictions had a negative impact on the ability of some NGOs to adequately provide a full range of protective services, including assistance to victims in filing cases against their traffickers with authorities and conducting family tracing.

The government operated child protection units in the 10 sub-cities of Addis Ababa and six major cities, including Dire Dawa, Adama, Sodo, Arba Minch, Debre Zeit, and Jimma; staff at the units were trained in assisting the needs of vulnerable children, including potential trafficking victims. Healthcare and other social services were generally provided to victims of trafficking by government-operated hospitals in the same manner as they were provided to other victims of abuse. The government continued to jointly operate an emergency response center in the Afar Region jointly with the IOM, at which police and local health professionals provided medical and nutritional care, temporary shelter, transport to home areas, and counseling to migrants in distress, including trafficking victims. While officials reportedly encouraged victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers, there were no protective mechanisms in place to support their active role in these processes. For example, Ethiopian law does not prevent the deportation of foreign victims to countries where they might face hardship or retribution. There were no reports of trafficking victims being detained, jailed, or prosecuted in 2013. The limited nature of consular services provided to Ethiopian workers abroad continued to be a weakness in government efforts. Although Employment Exchange Services Proclamation No. 632/2009 requires licensed employment agencies to place funds in escrow to provide assistance in the event a worker’s contract is broken, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has never used these deposits to pay for victims’ transportation back to Ethiopia. Nonetheless, in one case, a young woman in domestic servitude was pushed off the fifth story of a building by her employer in Beirut; once the victim was out of the hospital, the Ethiopian Embassy assisted in her repatriation, and upon her arrival, officials referred her to an NGO for assistance.

While officials worked to facilitate the return of stranded migrants and detainees, many of whom are believed to be trafficking victims, its focus was solely emergency assistance, with minimal direct provision of or support for longer-term protective services necessary for adequate care of trafficking victims. In April 2013, through a bilateral agreement with Yemeni officials, the Ethiopian government facilitated the return of 618 Ethiopian migrants stranded in Yemen after having failed to cross the Saudi Arabian border or been deported from Saudi Arabia. The government did not coordinate humanitarian assistance for these returnees upon their arrival in Addis Ababa. IOM coordinated subsequent returns, providing shelter at the IOM transit center in Addis Ababa, where returnees received medical care and psycho-social support while UNICEF conducted family tracing. The government did not provide financial or in-kind support to these IOM-led operations.

Beginning in November 2013, the Saudi Arabian government began massive deportation of foreign workers, who lacked proper visas or employment papers. The Ethiopian government led the repatriation and closely collaborated with IOM as part of an emergency response to the deportation of 163,000 Ethiopians from Saudi Arabia—many of whom were likely trafficking victims. Ethiopian diplomats worked to identify Ethiopian detainees stuck in 64 Saudi detention camps and various ministries met twice a week in an effort to return the migrants as rapidly as possible because of inhumane conditions within Saudi deportation camps. With a peak of 7,000 returning each day, the government partnered with IOM to provide food, emergency shelter, and medical care, and facilitate the deportees’ return to their home areas. Those requiring overnight stays in Addis Ababa were accommodated in IOM’s transit center and three transit facilities set up by the government; two of these were on government training campuses and one was rented at the government’s expense. The Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Section of the Ministry of Agriculture set up incident command centers at transit centers where representatives from all ministries addressed issues among returnees. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs provided blankets, food, and the approximate equivalent of $12,000 to a local NGO that assisted 87 severely traumatized trafficking victims identified among this population—believed to be only a mere fraction of the total number of victims needing comprehensive counseling and reintegration support among these deportees. Regional governments established committees to provide returnees basic assistance and planned to support their reintegration via the establishment of cooperatives and small businesses. For example, in Addis Ababa, 3,000 returnees received psychological support and 1,743 graduated from technical skills training. While the government contributed the equivalent of approximately $2.5 million towards repatriation costs, it requested reimbursement from IOM via donors for the equivalent of approximately $27,000 worth of food.

Prevention

The government made moderate efforts to prevent human trafficking. It coordinated both regional and national awareness raising campaigns. In 2013, nationally-owned media companies aired a drama series which portrayed the dangers of being trafficked. The Women’s Development Army, a government run program, raised awareness of the dangers of sending children to urban areas alone and of the potential for abuse when illegal brokers facilitate migration. Working-level officials from federal ministries and agencies met weekly as part of the technical working group on trafficking, led by MOLSA. The inter-ministerial taskforce on trafficking met quarterly and was extensively involved in responding to the deportation of Ethiopians from Saudi Arabia.

Officials acknowledged that licensed employment agencies were involved in facilitating both legal and illegal labor migration and, as a result, enacted a temporary ban on the legal emigration of low-skilled laborers in October 2013. The ban is set to remain in place until draft amendments to the employment exchange proclamation are enacted to allow for greater oversight of private employment agencies, to mandate the placement of labor attachés in Ethiopian embassies, and to establish an independent agency to identify and train migrant workers. The government monitored the activities of labor recruitment agencies and closed an unknown number of agencies that were identified as having sent workers into dangerous conditions. Officials acknowledged that the ban may encourage illegal migration; as a result, the EFP mobilized additional resources to monitor Ethiopia’s borders. In February 2014, the EFP intercepted 101 Ethiopians led by an illegal broker at the border with Sudan. In early November 2013, the government sent a delegation of officials to Saudi Arabia to visit various camps where Ethiopians were being held. Due to the poor conditions in the camps and numerous reports of abuse, the Ethiopian government acted to remove all of their citizens swiftly. During the year, a planned government-funded, six-week, pre-departure training for migrant workers was suspended due to lack of funding. Labor migration agreements negotiated in the previous reporting period with Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar remained in place; the government negotiated new agreements in 2013 with the Governments of Djibouti, Sudan, the UAE, and Kenya. However, these agreements did not explicitly contain provisions to protect workers—such as by outlining mandatory rest periods, including grounds for filing grievances, and prohibiting recruitment fees.

In 2013, the government established the Office of Vital Records to implement a June 2012 law requiring registration of all births nationwide; however, the lack of a uniform national identification card continued to impede implementation of the law and allowed for the continued issuance of district-level identification cards that were subject to fraud. MOLSA’s inspection unit decreased in size during the reporting period from 380 to 291 inspectors as a result of high turnover rates and limited resources. In 2013, the government’s list of Activities Prohibited for Young Workers became law. MOLSA inspectors were not trained to use punitive measures upon identifying labor violations, and expressed concern that such efforts would deter foreign investment. The government provided Ethiopian troops with anti-trafficking training prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions, though such training was conducted by a foreign donor.

=>US state.gov