Victims exploited in Ethiopia

Between 2004 and 2022, the IOM registered 230 victims exploited in Ethiopia.^[1] 71 per cent of them were registered between 2007 and 2011.

54 per cent of these victims are female, and 46 per cent are male.^[2] Most victims are adults (66%), while 34 per cent are children. Female victims are concentrated in age groups younger than 23 years of age, including children (under 18 years old), accounting for around 68 per cent. On the other hand, male victims tend to be 30 years of age or older (65%).

The citizenships of the victims exploited in Ethiopia are Sudan (50%) and Ethiopia (47%).

For identified victims of trafficking in Ethiopia, the most common form of exploitation is forced labour (62%), followed by trafficking for sexual exploitation (22%). Other types of exploitation combined, such as forced marriage, forced military, organ removal, and slavery and related practices, account for another 32 per cent.^[3] These victims are most frequently exploited for one to two years (47%).

The most common sector of labour exploitation is domestic work (91%), followed by hospitality (9%). The main means of control include false promises (75%), restrictions on finance, movements, medical care and necessities (67%), psychological, physical and sexual abuse (58%), and excessive working hours (50%).^[3] Most of these victims are recruited by ‘others’^[4] (63%), followed by those recruited by family (29%) or friends (7%).

^[1] This country profile is based on the data collected by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the process of providing assistance and protection services to victims of trafficking.

^[2] The IOM acknowledge diverse gender identities and expressions among trafficking victims. However, sex assigned at birth is used for this data analysis unless otherwise indicated. This is to ensure consistency with initial data collection forms, which lacked fields for diverse identities. Also, the disclosure of smaller subsets of victims with diverse gender identities increases data protection risks due to the potential identification of individual cases.

^[3] It is important to note that trafficked persons can be subjected to multiple types of exploitation and means of control, so percentages may not add up to 100.

^[4] Indicates a notable relationship with the recruiter that does not fit other categories like family or friends. This may include brokers, contractors, employers, or smugglers. See the Global Synthetic Dataset Codebook for a detailed explanation.