Legal Accountability Must be Ensured to Prevent Human Trafficking in Ethiopia: DPM Demeke

Addis Ababa August 18/2022/ENA/ Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen stressed the need for dismantling the network of human traffickers and ensuring legal accountability in order to prevent human trafficking in Ethiopia.

The National Council set up to prevent and suppress human trafficking, cross-border smuggling and irregular migration held its annual meeting today.

Chairman of the National Council and the deputy premier said that the network of brokers has to be dismantled and legal accountability ensured to prevent the increasing human trafficking in the country.

According to him, it is necessary to carry out tasks that focus on prevention of irregular migration and alleviating the misery of citizens overseas.

It is also vital to make citizens aware of the gravity of the problem by creating a broad social movement and dismantling the chain of illegal traffickers who are the leading actors for the increasing illegal migration, he noted.

Stating that dismantling the network of traffickers and setting up legal accountability should be prioritized while explaining to citizens that it is possible to work and prosper in Ethiopia, Demeke suggested that laws that pave way for this should either be issued or revised.

Citizen-oriented-diplomacy is also vital to reduce abuses against Ethiopian migrants abroad, Demeke pointed out.

Out of the 100,000 citizens living under difficult condition in Saudi Arabia, more than 65,000 citizens were repatriated, it was learned.

The repatriated were supported to return to their domicile.