VZCZCXRO7169
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHDS #0813/01 0750653
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 160653Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5131
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0086
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 2497
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0181
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 0080
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0075
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0988
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 0975
RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA 1760
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ADDIS ABABA 000813 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/E, AF/RSA, G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM 
STATE PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG KFRD PREF ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT (PART 1 - OVERVIEW 
AND PREVENTION) 
 
REF: 06 STATE 202745 (NOTAL) 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000813  001.2 OF 006 
 
 
¶1. (U) Per reftel, Post provides the following input on trafficking 
in persons issues in Ethiopia.  (Due to length of information 
reported, responses are being reported in two complementary 
cables.) 
 
¶2. (U) Embassy point of contact:  Pol/Econ Officer Kimberly E. 
Wright, office: +251 (11) 517-4112; fax: +251 (11) 124-2405, 
WRIGHTKE2@STATE.GOV 
 
¶3. (U) Number of hours spent in preparation of TIP report cable: 
FEOC DCM: 1 hour 
FS02 pol/econ officer: 4 hours 
FP04 pol/econ officer: 40 hours 
LES: 50 hours 
 
¶4. (U) Responses are keyed to questions in paragraphs 27-30 of 
reftel. 
 
¶5. (SBU) QUESTION 27 ? OVERVIEW: 
 
¶A. Ethiopia is a country of origin for internationally trafficked 
women, to a far lesser extent men, and a small number of children. 
Trafficking also occurs within the country's borders.  Estimates 
vary, but local non-governmental organizations believe an estimated 
25,000 to 30,000 Ethiopians were trafficked internationally in 2006, 
slightly more than the previous year.  Trafficking reported in 2006 
was primarily labor-related.  Government officials do not have 
estimates for 2006.  More females than males were victims of 
international trafficking, with prostitution comprising a minor 
share.  Young women, particularly those age 18-30, were the most 
commonly trafficked group, while a small number of children were 
also reportedly trafficked internationally. 
 
¶B. Young women are trafficked from all parts of Ethiopia primarily 
to the Gulf States, Sudan and Djibouti to work as domestic laborers 
and less typically as commercial sex workers.  Lebanon, the United 
Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia are the most common destination 
countries.  According to International Organization for Migration 
(IOM) officials in Addis Ababa, there are a total of more than 
130,000 Ethiopian migrant workers (legal and illegal) in the Middle 
East, predominantly women.  NGOs and Ethiopia's Ministry of Labor 
and Social Affairs (MOLSA) estimate that the majority of illegal 
Ethiopian workers in Middle Eastern countries were trafficked rather 
than smuggled for employment purposes.  According to data from MOLSA 
and IOM, 13,498 Ethiopian workers migrated to the Middle East 
between September 2005 and August 2006; and 12,016 Ethiopian workers 
migrated to the Middle East between September 2006 and January 2007. 
 
 
-- Approximately 17,000 illegal Ethiopian workers remain in Lebanon, 
along with over 15,000 legally immigrated Ethiopians, representing a 
significant share of Lebanon's estimated 80,000 migrant worker 
community. (IOM reports that Lebanon continued to issue work permits 
to Ethiopians, after suspending issuance for 18 months.) 
 
-- Approximately 10,000 to 12,000 illegal Ethiopian workers are 
believed to be in Yemen.  Several thousand Ethiopians are believed 
to be stranded in Puntland (Somalia), having unsuccessfully sought 
transit onward to Yemen.  In February 2007, UNHCR reported that the 
captain of a boat sailing from Somalia to Yemen (across the Gulf of 
Aden) forced 240 passengers overboard, resulting in the deaths of at 
least 115 Somali and Ethiopian passengers. 
 
-- During the recent Lebanese-Israeli conflict, the IOM repatriated 
approximately 3,000 Ethiopian migrant workers to Ethiopia.  Many 
reportedly crossed the border over to Syria.  IOM Addis was trying 
to negotiate the return of about a thousand Ethiopian migrants who 
were in prison awaiting deportation, but they somehow escaped. 
Ethiopia?s foreign ministry informed Lebanese officials that these 
detained Ethiopians did not want to return to Ethiopia (possibly due 
to fear of being stigmatized by their families).  IOM was also told 
that almost all were ?run-aways? who had fled from their employers 
after having left their home country legally. 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000813  002.2 OF 006 
 
 
 
-- From late 2005 to early 2006, Lebanon (refused to grant visas) to 
Ethiopian nationals.  However, thousands of Ethiopians illegally 
crossed the border in pursuit of work (and/or as victims of 
trafficking).  Over the last 14 months (since Lebanon has lifted 
their visa ban against Ethiopian nationals), the amount of 
trafficking to Lebanon has increased. 
 
-- IOM officials cite Yemen as a significant transit point, for 
young Ethiopian girls (average age 14-15) being trafficked to 
Djibouti.  A recent impact assessment concludes that many of these 
trafficked girls in Djibouti have HIV/AIDS. 
 
-- There are no reports of trafficking of Ethiopians to the United 
States.  A few years ago, IOM reported that approximately a dozen 
clients claimed that a smuggler was charging up to 80,000-100,000 
birr (USD 9,050- 11,312) to smuggle them into the United States. 
Since then, there is little to no information available about these 
routes.  Yemen and Lebanon have been identified as some of the most 
popular destinations for trafficking and smuggling. 
 
-- In Saudi Arabia, there are reportedly close to 80,000 illegal 
Ethiopian migrants, the bulk of whom initially traveled to Saudi 
Arabia on religious pilgrimage (the Hajj and Umra) but then remained 
illegally.  Some 5,000 to 7,000 illegal Ethiopian workers are 
believed to be living in Kuwait and Bahrain; and 4,000 to 5,000 
illegal Ethiopians are believed to be living in the United Arab 
Emirates, principally in Dubai. 
 
-- Men tend to be trafficked to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States 
primarily as low-skilled labor.  NGOs report transit countries 
include Egypt, Yemen, Djibouti, Sudan, Libya, Tanzania, and Kenya. 
Some Ethiopian women have been reportedly trafficked onward from 
Lebanon to Europe (specifically Turkey and Greece).  Trafficked 
Ethiopians transit Egypt, Yemen, Djibouti, Kenya, and Tanzania, to 
perform domestic labor in Lebanon and other Gulf states.  They also 
transit Sudan and Libya as part of irregular migration to Europe and 
North America.  Ethiopians are trafficked to Djibouti for domestic 
labor and the sex industry, and to South Africa to perform labor 
associated with hosting the World Cup. 
 
-- Local NGOs report that internal trafficking of children and 
adults within Ethiopia has continued to be a serious problem.  Both 
adults and children are believed to be trafficked from rural areas 
to urban areas, principally for domestic labor purposes, and, to a 
lesser extent, for prostitution and other labor activities, such as 
weaving and street vending.  Vulnerable individuals (such as young 
adults from rural areas and children), who transit the Addis Ababa 
bus terminal, are sometimes identified and targeted by agents (or 
traffickers) who approach them offering jobs, food, guidance, or 
shelter.  Some social workers have reported that people from urban 
areas recruit children in their villages for housemaid work or 
traditional weaving.  NGO representatives report that some 
traffickers focus on rural villages to recruit specific types or 
categories of laborers. 
 
-- IOM officials report some linkages between internal and 
international trafficking, specifically noting that children 
internally trafficked from Dire Dawa, Bahar Dar, and Dessie, are 
frequently sent to the Middle East, transiting through Dire Dawa, 
Jijiga, Bosasso (in Somalia), and then Djibouti. 
 
-- High unemployment and extreme poverty continued to provide the 
"push" behind labor and migration trends, while jobs, opportunities, 
and better living standards overseas served to "pull" desperate 
Ethiopians overseas, according to IOM officials.  NGOs believe that, 
while the number of legal labor migration employment agencies has 
risen from 17 to 36 in the last year, the GOE has significantly 
tightened its implementation of various labor and employment agency 
provisions.  The net result, according to NGOs, is that more 
Ethiopians are trafficked to neighboring countries (particularly 
Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, and Sudan) or via intermediate 
destinations (such as Syria or Egypt).  A current total of 36 
registered employment agencies in Ethiopia, have been licensed by 
MOLSA to send workers abroad.  These Addis Ababa-based agencies? 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000813  003.2 OF 006 
 
 
primary business hubs are in the Middle East.  MOLSA has recently 
completed revising proclamation 104/98, a tool which until now has 
lacked coordination, supervision, and controlling mechanisms. The 
amended proclamation, pending early 2007 parliamentary ratification, 
should streamline employment agency protections for migrant workers. 
 
 
-- Ethiopia is not a destination country for internationally 
trafficked victims.  Internally trafficked individuals are commonly 
targeted on arrival at Addis Ababa or recruited from rural villages 
for work as housemaids or for unskilled jobs in shops, factories, 
restaurants, or bars.  Those without local family contacts or other 
recourse 
return to their villages and are at risk for exploitation, including 
prostitution.  Coercion is sometimes a factor. 
 
-- Employment-seeking individuals frequently choose to move from 
rural to urban areas.  It is also common for family members to seek 
job opportunities for unemployed kin. 
 
-- The GOE has demonstrated political will to address the 
trafficking problem, in particular by informing Ethiopians about 
risks and realities of seeking employment overseas.  Studies 
undertaken by IOM also include: Assessment of Trafficking in Women 
and Children in and from Ethiopia (November 2006).  The GOE also 
supervises the work of the legal international labor migration 
firms, which includes counter-trafficking training in their initial 
screening and pre-departure counseling programs.  Pre-departure 
counseling is designed to empower potential migrants by providing 
information about the realities of irregular migration, with 
specific focus on risks (such as exploitation, violence and abuse). 
 
 
-- Additionally, the project provides potential migrants and their 
families with counseling on human rights, financial management and 
health issues.  These services aim to enable potential migrants to 
make better-informed decisions, and to facilitate their 
socio-economic integration into their destination/host country.  IOM 
has also provided anonymous telephone hotline counseling support. 
This pre-departure counseling complements an already existing IOM 
information campaign to disseminate reliable information on issues 
related to irregular migration and trafficking to the community at 
large.  The government has championed a program that involves 
matching employers in Lebanon with potential Ethiopian-based 
employees.  Under the program, government officials verify the 
employer, position and contract terms in Lebanon.  Once the 
employment opportunity is deemed valid, the contract and employment 
details are sent to MOLSA and then on to the prospective employee. 
Family members or friends already working in Lebanon often arrange 
for such referrals.   The employee is then able to travel legally 
and registers with the Beirut consulate. 
 
-- The IOM Rapid Assessment (pp.33-42) reports: ?Trafficking routes 
usually overlap with the normal routes for movement and migration 
from rural to urban areas.  Moreover, the process of in-country 
trafficking of women and children is largely not an organized 
activity involving actors exclusively and recurrently involved in 
trafficking.  A typical case of trafficking involves a person 
traveling to a rural area for holidays or other purposes not 
directly associated with trafficking, and incidentally recruiting 
and transporting a relative or acquaintance to a town in which he 
lives.  In most cases, it is only possible to draw a general pattern 
of movement of women and children from rural to urban centers and 
from one urban center to another, usually larger, urban center. 
 
?Still, some patterns of transportation and route flow from the 
recruitment process described above.  One such pattern concerns 
transportation of boys from Gamo Gofa, one of the zones in the 
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples? Regional State 
(SNNPR), to Addis Ababa.  The production of ?shemma? and other 
traditional textiles in home-based industries is dominated by the 
people who currently live in the city and originally come from Gamo 
Gofa Zone, mainly Chencha Woreda.  In order to make their businesses 
more profitable, the weavers recruit a large number of children from 
their woredas of origin in Gamo Gofa, whom they force to work for 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000813  004.2 OF 006 
 
 
long hours and with little or no payment.  It is also reported that 
these weavers have established second families in Gamo Gofa, to 
visit the area after holiday seasons and to create opportunities for 
recruitment. 
 
?The normal route used for transportation of the boy children 
extends from kebeles in Chencha woreda and other adjoining woredas 
in Gamo Gofa, to the town of Arba Minch, by traditional means of 
transportation and local public transportation vehicles.  Then, the 
traffickers and their child victims board the cross-country public 
transport buses at the Arba Minch bus terminal to travel to Addis 
Ababa. 
 
?In recent years, due to relatively improved awareness and 
regulations set up to control trafficking around the bus terminal in 
Arba Minch, the normal route of transportation has been modified to 
avoid Arba Minch: using traditional means of transport directly from 
Chencha to Wolayita and taking public buses to Addis Ababa. 
Increased control by law enforcement officials at the Wolayta bus 
terminal has reportedly led traffickers to take public transport 
from other small towns to arrive in Addis Ababa. 
 
?Another route involves the transportation of women and girl 
children from rural parts of the Amhara Region to larger regional 
towns and Addis Ababa.  Rural areas of the Amhara Region are the 
main places of origin for most trafficked women and girl children. 
Although all parts of this Region are affected by trafficking, 
various sources have pointed out that Este and Farta woredas of 
Southern Gondar Zone are the most affected.  Traffickers use the 
normal transportation means and route to bring their victims to 
Addis Ababa or other urban areas.  During travel, the traffickers 
usually claim to be relatives of the victims.  According to some 
Addis Ababa bus terminal employees, some traffickers dress and act 
like priests to avoid being suspected of trafficking women and 
children. 
 
?Though not well documented, a relatively visible pattern of 
trafficking of boys and girls from woredas in the Guraghe zone of 
SNNPR to Addis Ababa, through the town of Wolkite and other woreda 
towns with connecting roads to the capital, has also been 
identified.  Like the other routes, the trafficking route used is 
the traditional means of transportation to nearby woreda towns and 
public transport buses directly to Addis Ababa or through the town 
of Wolkite.  Parents and relatives in the woredas of the zone 
traditionally send their children, especially boys, to Addis Ababa 
at an early age to earn money in the informal sector and support 
family members at home.  There is a long tradition of migration from 
the woredas, which suffer from overpopulation, due to stories of 
successful individuals who have previously migrated from their 
communities.  The migrating boys mostly work as shoeshiners, street 
vendors, and other forms of informal labor, either living in groups 
or with relatives in Addis Ababa; while the girls become housemaids 
with the hope of being able to send money to their family and save 
enough to start their own small retail shop.  This trend of 
migration reportedly masks an increasing level of trafficking in 
children from the Guraghe zone.  According to these reports, 
children are recruited and transported to Addis Ababa using the same 
route without the traditionally required consent of their parents 
and relatives, and are exploited in the informal sector principally 
as housemaids and girl prostitutes. 
 
?Another less documented route involves the trafficking of boys from 
Wolayita and Sidama zones in the SNNPR to some rural parts of 
Oromia, mainly to Arsi and Bale zones.  Police in the towns of 
Awassa and Shashemene have several times apprehended traffickers 
traveling with five to ten boys destined for sale as shepherd to 
farmers in rural areas of those zones.? 
 
-- In December 2005, the Ministry of Justice forwarded a proposal to 
Post for a public awareness campaign on trafficking.  In 2006, Post 
approved and funded a USD 20,000 project submitted by the MOJ 
through Project Concern International.  Using the funds provided by 
Post, the National Task Force conducted two three-day workshops in 
Addis Ababa and Nazareth in November 2006 and January 2007 
respectively.  The more than 105 workshop participants included 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000813  005.2 OF 006 
 
 
representatives from civil society, NGOs, regional high court 
judges, regional women?s bureaus, police commissioners, and national 
labor bureau personnel. 
 
-- Four papers were presented at the workshops.  The Deputy Head of 
the Addis Ababa Justice Bureau shared highlights from a draft paper, 
?The Analysis of Human Trafficking Provisions Under the New Penal 
Code of Ethiopia in Light of Individual Instruments Dealing with 
Human Trafficking,? which delved more deeply into prevention, 
protection and prosecution issues in Ethiopia.  The second paper, 
?General Findings of the International Organization for Migration?s 
Research on Human trafficking in Ethiopia? examined the different 
modalities and phases of trafficking, (i.e., recruitment, 
transportation).  The third paper, ?Experience of Philippines 
Overseas Employment? outlined the country?s institutional framework 
and policy for overseas employment, management of migratory workers, 
and measures taken to protect them. The fourth paper, ?Development 
of Human Trafficking Data Collection Methods and Formats,? explored 
basic data collection concepts and current human trafficking data 
gaps and challenges. 
 
¶C.  Lack of funding, personnel, and training constrains the 
government's ability to assist and protect trafficking in persons 
victims, despite its political will.  The World Bank ranks Ethiopia 
as one of the world?s poorest countries.  Increasingly cognizant of 
the problem and the need to do more, the GOE has begun to 
demonstrate more political will in the form of follow-through on 
cross-training initiatives and media campaigns.  In late 2006 and 
early 2007, the government closed illegal international employment 
agencies and enforced immigration requirements for departing labor 
migrants.  However, low trafficking conviction rates sends a poor 
message to Ethiopians both here and abroad.  Ethiopia's 
under-resourced and overwhelmed judicial system maintains its 
incapacity to vigorously prosecute TIP cases.  In addition, police 
officials, reflecting popular sentiment, appear to be less alarmed 
with the problem of trafficking, insisting upon Ethiopians? 
constitutional rights to travel freely.  Domestic trafficking has 
received less attention.  Consequently, monitoring and enforcement 
have lagged. 
 
¶D. The government monitors immigration and emigration patterns for 
evidence of trafficking.  With IOM assistance, immigration officers 
have been trained to spot and question those most susceptible 
(children and young women) to trafficking and verify the legitimacy 
of the travel.  Beyond application of proclamation 104, there has 
been little effort to use such data in any meaningful way to address 
the problem. 
 
¶6. (SBU) QUESTION 28 ? PREVENTION: 
 
¶A. The GOE acknowledges that trafficking is a problem in-country. 
 
¶B. Established in 2003, an inter-ministerial counter-trafficking 
task force comprises officials from the ministries of foreign 
affairs, justice, information, and women?s affairs, as well as 
MOLSA, the Federal Police Commission, the Office of Immigration, 
Addis Ababa Police Commission, and the Addis Ababa Prosecutors? 
Office.  The task force met regularly prior to the outbreak of post 
election-related violence in June 2005, but did not resume regular 
meetings until July 2006.  Prior to July 2006, MOLSA assumed overall 
coordination responsibility, and its annual action plan included a 
summary of its work plans for the year with respect to counter 
trafficking. 
 
¶C. The GOE supported IOM-sponsored anti-trafficking information 
campaigns, including large-group counseling efforts in schools and 
universities and various media campaigns including a weekly 20 
minute anti-trafficking and awareness creation programs on national 
radio.  IOM also produced two one-minute radio spots, broadcasted in 
both Amharic and English. A 30-minute documentary highlighting the 
problem of trafficking was produced and aired on national television 
in December 2006.  The documentary features interviews with 
counter-trafficking personnel, officials from various concerned 
ministries, and testimonies of trafficking victims.  In January 
2007, 10,000 anti-trafficking calendars were produced and 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000813  006.2 OF 006 
 
 
distributed to partner NGOs and government counterparts, the 
Ethiopian Teachers? Association, and schools.  The calendars feature 
paintings by a trafficking victim and her art school students. 
 
¶D. The Ministry of Education (MOE) continued to work with UNICEF on 
a campaign to boost the enrollment of girls in schools in Ethiopia's 
poorest regions.  The MOE regularly organizes workshops aimed at 
helping girls overcome the hurdles that prevent them from attending 
school (i.e. domestic chores, early marriages).  In partnership with 
MOE, IOM continued to distribute age-appropriate, illustrative 
exercise books depicting counter-trafficking activities to secondary 
school students throughout the country.  MOE and IOM helped to 
initiate peer group discussions on trafficking among 200 secondary 
and junior secondary school students in the country.  Students 
received cassette and CD recordings on the ill effects of 
trafficking, which were also broadcast through school media during 
recess. 
 
¶E. In 2006, the government showed more effective partnering with 
IOM, the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), and the Forum 
for Street Children in Ethiopia (FSCE).  MOLSA works closely with 
IOM on anti-trafficking activities but partners with very few 
indigenous NGOs (apart from making some data available to them upon 
request).  By contrast, Ethiopian officials at consulates in Beirut 
and Dubai have reported that they have developed anti-trafficking 
professional networks with NGOs and churches in Lebanon.  While NGOs 
in Ethiopia and in Lebanon applaud the cooperative efforts of the 
consulate staff, all are quick to note that they are overworked and 
under-funded.  As part of its capacity enhancement plans, IOM is 
developing a database for MOLSA and has coordinated a study tour for 
government officials.  Counselors have started hosting pre-departure 
orientation sessions in MOLSA to streamline labor migration and 
enhance its migration management activities.  Project Concern 
International (PCI), with a USD 20,000 grant from Post, played a 
central role (along with IOM) in the design and delivery of two 
regional multi-day workshops delivered in November 2006 and January 
2007 to NGO representatives, as well as to regional government and 
judicial officials. 
 
¶F. The government monitors its borders within the context of its 
limited capacity.  There are large swaths of territory along 
Ethiopia's borders with Sudan, Kenya and Somalia that are not 
currently monitored by Ethiopian border officials.  The GOE 
Immigration Authority has set up a number of checkpoints to verify 
legal entries and exits.  Border control points have been set up in 
Metema, Dewele, Galafi, Dire Dawa (at the center of town), and 
Moyale.  Border guards check whether necessary documents (passports) 
are in order and that visas are appropriately and legitimately 
stamped.  Border guards also seek to verify that migrant workers 
have proper employment contracts and have completed MOLSA?s parallel 
authorizing process.  Guards are also authorized to prevent 
unaccompanied minors from crossing borders without a legal adult 
guardian. 
 
¶G. (See response to 27 B above.) 
 
¶H. MOLSA?s annual action plan included a summary of its work plans 
for the year. 
 
¶7. (U) NOTE: Responses to reftel questions on prosecution of 
traffickers and on protection of victims are being reported septel. 
END NOTE. 
 
WILGUS