The study Accidental Traffickers: Qualitative Findings on Labour Recruitment in Ethiopia examines the recruitment practices of informal labour facilitators in Ethiopia, particularly regarding migration to the Middle East and Gulf States for domestic work. This research is a collaboration between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Population Council, and the Freedom Fund. Despite government efforts to regulate migration and encourage “safe recruitment,” informal facilitators remain vital, particularly in rural regions. Researchers conducted qualitative interviews with 28 facilitators to explore their experiences and the impact of migration policies on their operations. The study occurred in Hadiya Zone and Bahir Dar, with facilitators chosen through community networks and snowball sampling. Key themes included bureaucratic challenges, informal networks, and facilitators’ perceived lack of responsibility for migrants’ safety.
The results reveal four main findings: informal facilitators often bypass legal requirements, viewed as advantageous by migrants seeking quicker, cheaper options; recruitment involves lengthy informal chains with multiple actors; facilitators find it challenging to ensure migrants’ safety post-departure; and there is a significant gap between policies from Addis Ababa and the realities of rural migration. The study suggests that rather than criminalising informal facilitators, policies should engage them to protect migrant workers better and develop safer recruitment pathways.
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