The FDRE State Minister of Justice Alemante Agidew said that the American Government has acknowledged the improvements witnessed in Ethiopia’s endeavor to prevent and control the crime of Trafficking in Persons.
The US Department of State has released its annual 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report according to which Ethiopia improved its TIRE placement from “Watch List” to TIRE 2. Pursuant to this same report which was released on 15 June 2023, the measures the Ethiopian government has been taking to prevent and control Trafficking in person have witnessed increased intensity.
The report stated that the Government’s steps in criminal investigation and bringing suspects to justice has intensified and further appreciated the submission of data on measures taken against culprits for the first time since Proclamation No. 1178 of 2020 came into effect.
Furthermore, other activities which helped the country improve its TIRE placement include; Law enforcement capacity building activities, improved victim referral mechanisms, support provided to returnee victims form Arab and Gulf States, as well as land and other resources made available to centers built in support of the IOM.
Despite this however, the report also indicated that; lack of ample attention to domestic trafficking, absence of Government administered victims rehabilitation centers, lack of a system towards criminal liability of oversees employment agencies, and Absence of a centralized law enforcement data collection system on trafficking crimes are dimensions where the Government underperformed.
It is to be recalled that, the Ministry of Justice, as chair of the National Partnership Coalition, gathered data from the relevant stakeholders and was able to submit a better organized country report to the US Department of State. Accordingly, the State Department and the US Embassy in Ethiopia conjointly assessed the country report as well as the ongoing activities and improved our ranking to the 2nd TIRE.
The US annual report is instrumental to Ethiopia’s engagement with other countries and the support it may secure towards the prevention and control of Trafficking in Persons.
According to Mr. Alemante, the improvements Ethiopia witnessed in the current European year further strengthens its efforts to prevent and control Trafficking in Persons and exert more to alleviate identified gaps.
The State Minster further stressed that the life, as well as physical and moral grievances to our citizens demand for a stronger alliance between all stakeholders and the office of the National Partnership Coalition.
