Human trafficking is one of the oldest crimes on earth and it is an industry that has existed for eons and continues to affect millions of people of world wide. Though the level of the problem varies, no nation is free from the problem of human trafficking and Ethiopia is not an exception.
The nature of human trafficking is multifaceted, complex, and clandestine and poses significant challenges for the development of effective anti-trafficking policies. The root causes of the crime are deeper than any one of its facets and relate to larger systemic conditions such as poverty, forced migration, racism, and discrimination, among many others Addressing human trafficking requires a dynamic policy framework based on the mutually reinforcing pillars of prosecution, protection, prevention, and partnership.
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced that Ethiopian government has been addressing human trafficking by setting different policies and strategies. Basasin Deribe Senior Communication Expert in the Ministry said that 1,300 people are exposed to illegal trafficking per day in Ethiopia before October 2018 and they travel by using different type of visas like tourist visa and business visa. He noted that to address the trafficking of citizens, government adopted Proclamation No.923/2016 which prohibits direct employment of Ethiopian nationals in foreign countries with which Ethiopia has bilateral relation.
According to this proclamation, employer countries can hire Ethiopian nationals only through the intermediary of legally registered private agencies or the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Ethiopia. He stressed that based on this proclamation government established anti trafficking taskforce from the Office of Attorney General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Federal Affairs, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, Ethiopian Air lines, Federal Police and Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, Immigration and Nationality Affairs, religious institutions and charity organizations.
As to him the work of this taskforce include, prevention of human trafficking through promoting entrepreneurship so as to create job opportunities for citizens of Ethiopia, Protecting the rights of citizens by facilitating a condition to benefit them from the development endeavors of the country and encouraging citizens to follow lawful procedures while deciding to work abroad by undertaking awareness creation activity.
Assefa Yirgalem, Communication Director in the Ministry said that to ensure the safety and dignity of employees, Ethiopian government signed bilateral labor agreement with four Arab countries: Saudi, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) He underscored that this agreement is of much advantages for Ethiopia and Arab countries for Ethiopia would send well trained and skilled employees who would satisfy the interest of their employers as compared to the previous time and it is an open secret that they, themselves would be more beneficiary as they properly discharge their responsibilities. As per the Director, the agreement would contribute its own role in the effort to minimize illegal human trafficking and the overseas employment of under qualified workers.
As to the agreement, the countries that signed the agreement would, from now on work in line with the laws, rules and regulations of the new legal framework they already signed. Assefa stressed that Arab countries are responsible to facilitate the opening of a bank account by the employer under the name of the domestic worker for the purpose of depositing his/her monthly salary as provided in the employment contract.
As per the contract, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Ethiopia has an obligation to assure the health, qualification and other related requirements up on sending workers to countries. As to Assefa, nation will equip prospective workers with skill and knowledge of the respective country’s culture and custom so as to meet requirements and safeguard them from possible challenges. He further added government opened a training center at all states and only qualified individual who pass the competence examination (Certificate of Competence – CoC), after the training, will be eligible to travel to the prospective countries.
Herald January 16/2019
BY TAMERU REGASA
