Apart from the government, many development organizations are committed to change the daunting challenge of unsafe migration of Ethiopians to the Gulf States and European countries. Off the various development organization highly dedicated to raising the community’s knowledge and awareness towards risks of unsafe and irregular migration, Emmanuel Development Association (EDA) is cited principally.
Not far, EDA has prepared a day-long workshop under the team: “Media and Migration”. Media practitioners and other stakeholders working in the area have attended the workshop.
Girmachew Adugna (PhD), who is also Coordinator of Better Migration Management Project in See-far, presented a paper pertaining to the current status of migration in Ethiopia. Extreme level poverty, political influence, environmental degradation, population pressure, shortage of land, poor agricultural productivity, high unemployment rate, lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities, and the emergence of ‘cultures of migration’ among others are the driving forces of migration.
Menials are often internal migrants whose work as domestic help in an urban family is usually their first work experience.
They have experience of the low level of social support and weak social networks compared to others. At least a third of returnees from the Middle East had started their migration path as internal migrants; therefore, existing household help and female internal migrants are at risk of unsafe migration.
According to Girmachew, the current trends of migration in Ethiopia shows the fact that the drivers and impact of migration are not just complex, but they are also increasingly interconnected. The migration cycle in Ethiopia highlights the likelihood of people to re-migrate whether the first experience was positive or not. Evidence demonstrates that re-migration is often the result of lack of effective reintegration.
Migration intervention programs require a multifaceted and comprehensive approach which includes a broad spectrum of activities and services: preventing irregular migration and human trafficking, reintegrating/rehabilitating both returnees and victims of trafficking, adequate legal code and response to smugglers and traffickers improved investigative capacities and enhanced regional cooperation, improved frontier and pre-frontier management, improved personal documentation for migrants, including travel documents and documents for internal use, limiting possibilities for illegal employment is important.
Ensuring consistent standards and facilitating decision making in the asylum system, opening up legal, orderly, and managed channels of migration to relieve some pressures on migration and prevention measures need to be further enhanced, as migration is a cycle, protection and reintegration issues deserve concerted efforts and attention, he stated.
Continuing to raise public awareness about the dangers of irregular migration and human trafficking, mass information campaign, provision of training is essential. In addition to this livelihood promotion, job creation, building the overall capacity of local communities, schools, and government and non-government actors working on migration issues is crucial.
The research stated that prosecution, protection, and prevention continue to serve as the fundamental framework used around the world to combat human trafficking.
Prosecution is effective law enforcement. It is an indispensable element of government to fight against human trafficking. Protection is a key to the victim-centered approach that the international community takes in its efforts to combat modern slavery.
Effective victim protection entails identifying victims, providing referrals for a comprehensive array of services, directly providing or funding NGOs to provide those services, and supporting these individuals as they rebuild their lives.
Alula Sisay Overseas Employment Team leader at Addis Ababa Bureau of Labour and Social Affairs (BOLSA) told The Ethiopian Herald with the dissemination of accurate and targeted information, communities will be better prepared to respond to the threat of human trafficking. It is also vital to initiate civic dialogue on migration; and work on risk perception, readiness and attitudes of migrants.
What is more, school and community-based interventions are vital to raising people’s awareness. Incorporating irregular migration and human trafficking in school and college curriculum could encourage a regular discussion on these issues. It is also important to establish irregular migration/anti-trafficking clubs in schools.
There is a need to work to bring about behavioral change communication focusing on attitude and practice change rather than mere awareness raising. Meaningful partnerships between public and private sectors and civil society can spread up awareness, leverage expertise, and facilitate creative solutions, Alula added.
Prevention strategies must be targeted, and have to be designed based on evidence and reliable data. Providing extended pre-departure information would help migrants to make an informed migration decision.
One of the major sources of migration is unemployment. Hence, he said as part of the program to reduce the unemployment rate, the City Administration is dedicated to creating over 160,000 jobs, Alula added.
Offering skill development training for potential migrants is also an essential step forward in this regard, Girmachew said.
The Ethiopian Herald July 4/2019
BY ESSEYE MENGISTE
