ETHIOPIA: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 000386 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/E, AF/RSA, G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, and PRM STATE PASS USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIP ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG ASEC PREL, ET SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT REF: (A) STATE 005577 (B) 2008 STATE 132759 ¶1. (U) Post provides the following input on trafficking in persons issues in Ethiopia. ¶2. (U) Embassy point of contact until March 1: Pol/Econ Officer Kimberly E. Wright, office: +251 (11) 517-4112; fax: +251 (11) 124-2405, WRIGHTKE2@STATE.GOV After March 1: Deputy Pol/Econ Chief Dante Paradiso, office: +251 (11) 517-4289; fax: +251 (11) 124-2405, PARADISODX@STATE.GOV ¶3. (U) Number of hours spent in preparation of TIP report cable: AMB: 2 hours; FS02 Pol/Econ officer: 5 hours; FP04 Pol/Econ officer: 50 hours; LES: 30 hours ¶4. (U) Responses are keyed to questions in paragraphs 23-27 of reftel. ¶5. (U) THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION. -- A. Source(s) and source reliability. Plans in place (if any) to undertake further documentation of human trafficking. Sources for TIP reportage include eight principal NGOs: the Ethiopian Private Employment Agencies Association (EPEAA),the Forum for Street Children in Ethiopia (FSCE),the Good Samaritan Association (GSA),the International Labour Organization (ILO),the International Organization for Migration (IOM),the Organization for the Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Integration of Female Street Children (OPRIFS), Project Concern International (PCI),and UNICEF-Ethiopia. International NGOs (IOM, ILO, PCI, and UNICEF) are known to provide the bulk of better researched TIP data. The four key Government of Ethiopia (GoE) offices culled for information for this report include: the Prosecutor's High Court Office (11th Bench),the Ministry of Justice (MoJ),the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA),and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA). Both NGO and government offices report capacity challenges in data gathering and reportage. A year ago, MoFA organized a new Women's and Children's Trafficking Controlling Department managed under the Women's Affairs and Affirmative Action Directorate. The office collects data from Ethiopian diplomatic missions, NGOs, and police sub-stations on the status of migrant workers. To-date, there has been no reported coordination between this and other GoE Ministry offices (i.e. MoLSA, MoJ) charged with TIP responsibilities. While no public research reports have yet been issued from this office, MoFA intends for this department to serve as a clearinghouse for TIP data collection and reportage. --B. Ethiopia as a country of origin, transit, and/or destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or children. Ethiopia is a country of origin for internationally trafficked women, to a lesser extent, men, and a smaller, but growing number of children. Trafficking also occurs within the country's borders. Figures vary, but local NGOs believe an estimated 100,000 to 125,000 Ethiopians were trafficked internationally in 2008, slightly more than the previous year. As an example, in the period beginning June 1 and ending July 1, more than 25,847 migrant workers traveled to Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai seeking employment as housemaids, guards, drivers, and day laborers. The Ethiopian consulate has estimated the number of Ethiopian workers in Lebanon alone to be between 45,000 and 60,000. Trafficking reported in 2008 was primarily labor-related, though no one source of reliable data exists currently. In May after a series of mysterious deaths of Ethiopian maids, reports of trafficking and visa fraud, the GoE officially banned its citizens from traveling to Lebanon. To-date, the ban remains in effect. While the number of in-country legal labor migration employment agencies rose from 36 to 90 between 2005 and 2008, the GoE has tightened its implementation of various labor and employment agency provisions. The net result, according to NGOs, is that most Ethiopians are trafficked to neighboring countries (particularly Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, and Sudan) or via intermediate destinations (such as Egypt) to the Middle East. Both Djibouti and Somaliland appear to be newly pre-eminent routes for traffickers from Ethiopia. -- C. What kind of conditions are the victims trafficked into? Many victims are trafficked from rural to urban areas or overseas for domestic work, but some are pushed into a variety of employment streams as prostitutes, beggars, or accessories to crimes. Anecdotal reports reflect that trafficking victims are made to live and work under life-threatening conditions, subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation, and separated from familial support. Trafficking victims often report various human rights violations, including forced labor, debt bondage, forced begging, physical and sexual assault, prostitution, confinement, denial of salary, and incarceration. These labor conditions put trafficking victims further at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),including HIV/AIDS, as well as under-aged pregnancies, unsafe abortions, fistulas, and child birth complications. According to the Ethiopian Women's Lawyer's Association (EWLA), Ethiopian women in Middle Eastern countries face severe human rights abuses including being subject to beatings, sleep deprivation, rape by employers, having body parts seared in boiling oil, being burned with hot irons, and being thrown out of high-rise buildings. As a result, many are driven to despair and mental illness, with some committing suicide. -- D. Vulnerability to TIP: Certain groups of persons more at risk of being trafficked. More females than males were victims of international trafficking, with prostitution comprising a minor share of the trafficking push. Young women, particularly those ages 16-30, were the most commonly trafficked group. 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. According to FSCE's TIP report for July through November 2008, more female children between the ages of 10 - 14 have become vulnerable to internal trafficking. Local NGOs report that internal trafficking of children and adults 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 terminals, are sometimes identified and targeted by agents (or traffickers) who approach them offering jobs, food, guidance, or shelter. IOM officials report some linkages between internal and international trafficking, specifically noting that children internally trafficked from Dire Dawa, Bahir Dar, and Dessie, are frequently sent to the Middle East, transiting through Dire Dawa, Jijiga, Bosasso (in Somalia),and onward to Djibouti. -- E. Traffickers and Their Methods: According to Addis Ababa's police child protection unit (CPU) social work reports, traffic brokering networks have grown increasingly sophisticated and collaborative. Aware of the police presence in the Merkato and downtown Addis Ababa bus terminals, traffickers are approaching vulnerable individuals (most often young adults and children from rural areas) at bus terminals fifteen to twenty kilometers outside of Addis Ababa's city limits. Although NGO and police reports fall short of accusing traffickers of organizing national crime syndicates or gangs, their recruitment methods are evolving and notable. Vulnerable individuals transiting the North Addis Ababa and Addis Ababa bus terminals are sometimes identified and targeted by agents/brokers (or traffickers) who approach them offering jobs, food, guidance, and shelter. Some NGO social workers have reported that people from urban areas recruit children in their locale for housemaid work or traditional weaving. Information on who is behind the trafficking has proven difficult to document. MoJ, MoLSA, and IOM sources have noted greater sophistication and coordination, or "criminalization", among traffic brokering rings. There are several well known operators in Addis who have extensive linkages in Ethiopia as well as destination countries. In the past, some worked under the cover of legitimate travel agencies. What is known about trafficking rings can be broken down into the following groups. BROKERS: Local brokers (called 'delalas') are business people operating at the rural community level, usually known to the victim and his or her family. FACILITATORS: Facilitators mainly operate in rural areas. The main tasks of facilitators in the recruitment process are to seek out potential victims, convince victims and their families of the benefits of working abroad, and arrange meetings with brokers. TRAVEL AGENCIES AND IMPORT-EXPORT BUSINESSES: Travel agencies and import-export businesses coordinate travel to destination countries and establish contact with employment agents and individuals on the demand side. Not much is known about the recruitment methods used by owners and operators of travel agencies and import-export businesses. They do not advertise their services since they are not licensed to arrange employment abroad. According to FSCE, facilitators work with local brokers mostly at the initial stages of recruitment. ¶6. (U) SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS. --A. Government acknowledgement of trafficking. While the GoE acknowledges that trafficking is a problem in-country -- particularly trafficking of young women to Lebanon and the Middle East, it has limited capacity to assist and protect its citizenry. --B. Government agencies involved in, and taking the lead on anti- trafficking efforts. An Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking comprised of officials from MoFA, MoJ, MoLSA, the Ministry of Women and ChildrenQs Affairs (MoWCA),as well as the Federal Police Commission, the Office of Immigration, and the Addis Ababa Prosecutor's Office was established in 2003 to coordinate anti-TIP efforts across the Ministries and agencies charged with preventing, tracking, and prosecuting TIP cases. MoLSA and IOM co-lead the Task Force. The Task Force was divided into the following four sub-committees in 2007 which include: research, information, media and legal affairs. According to IOMQs National Program Coordinator for Counter-Trafficking, and a MoJ-based Task Force member, no meetings or outputs from this Task Force or its committees have been reported since June 2007. The Task Force represents the most prominent vehicle through which the GoE can monitor and coordinate TIP efforts. MoLSA trained two new employees to provide orientation workshops to migrant workers in 2008. In the three hour orientation program provided by MoLSA staff, migrant workers were briefed on the dangers of trafficking, the values, norms, culture, and religion of receiving countries, personal hygiene, and how to send remittances to Ethiopia. -- C. Limitations on the government's ability to address this problem in practice. Services for returnee victims, prevention, and prosecution are constrained by a lack of funding, personnel, and training. According to IOM, the Task Force's inactivity is largely a by-product of limited funding. In March 2008, IOM lost a significant share of its TIP related funding from USAID. That funding previously supported IOM's efforts to convene the Task Force, and engage it in capacity-building and inter-agency coordination efforts. Ethiopia's under-resourced and overwhelmed judicial system lacks the capacity to vigorously prosecute trafficking cases. The inability of police investigators to properly code, track, and distinguish smuggling, rape, abduction, and unfair child labor practices cases is parallel to the internal practices of a judicial system that routinely fails to track trafficking cases appropriately. Consequently, monitoring and enforcement have lagged. -- D. Systematic government monitoring of anti-trafficking efforts. Refer to 5-A. According to a MoFA department director, by the end of 2009, MoFA's newly organized Women's and Children's Trafficking should have the capacity to serve as a resource for systematic TIP monitoring, data collection and reportage. According to MoLSA's Employment and Manpower Department Chief, the not yet operational USAID/IOM supported and funded database to collect information on irregular migration patterns and trafficking should be functional in the next several months. The Inter-Ministerial Task Force is now largely defunct. ¶7. (U) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: -- A. Existing Laws against TIP. The constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) clearly prohibits the trafficking of human beings for whatever purpose. In May 2005, the GoE enacted new legislation further codifying its constitutional anti-trafficking precepts. The revised May 2005 Penal Codes improved trafficking-related language, outlawed labor-related trafficking, and replaced the less specific penal code of 1957. The GoE signed and ratified ILO convention 182 (2003),ILO convention 29 (2003),and ILO convention 105 (1999). In late 2006, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime was submitted to the GoEQs Council of Ministers for approval. There is no new development to-date on the 2006 protocol approval. During this reporting cycle, an ILO principal highlighted serious concerns regarding proposed articles and amendments to ILO Convention 181 - a proclamation for private employment agencies. According to ILO, one of the articles calls for thirty percent obligatory remittance fees from Ethiopian migrant workers, a regulation that would run contrary to this already ratified ILO convention. Thirty percent remittance fees would drive already vulnerable trafficking victims deeper into poverty. The amended draft proclamation on private employment agencies is expected to be reviewed and passed by GoE's Council of Ministers and parliament in 2009. Ethiopia has not enacted any new legislation since the last TIP report. -- B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: Prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking people for sexual exploitation. Refer to 7C. Penal Code Article 635 (Trafficking in Women and Minors) specifically criminalizes the trafficking of men, women and children for prostitution. -- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: Prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor. While not explicitly or exclusively linked to trafficking, the below highlighted Penal Code Articles are used to prosecute TIP cases. Article 596 (Enslavement) criminalizes any attempt to enslave, sell, alienate, buy, trade, or exploit another person. Article 597 (Trafficking in Women and Children) criminalizes the recruitment, transportation, harboring, import, or export of women or minors for the purpose of forced labor. Article 598 (Unlawful Sending of Ethiopians for Work Abroad) criminalizes sending Ethiopian citizens abroad for work without a license. Article 599 (Participation of Illegal Associations and Juridical Persons) criminalizes any group or organization's participation in slave trading. Article 600 (Default of Supervision or Control) criminalizes any government official who fails to take all measures to control and prevent trafficking. Those found in violation of any of the above anti-trafficking-related Penal Codes, including Article 635; face five to twenty years imprisonment and a fine not to exceed 100,000 birr (USD 9,704, as of February 3, 2009). For particularly egregious cases involving bodily harm, the penalty may be ten to twenty years of rigorous imprisonment. GoE laws provide criminal punishment ranging from five to twenty years of jail time and 10,000 to 100,000 birr (907 to 9,074 USD, as of February 3, 2009) in fines for labor recruiters who engage in recruitment with the purpose of subjecting workers to trafficking in destination countries. As a source country for labor migrants, Private Employment Agency Proclamation 104/1998 states that unless the provisions of the Penal Code provide more severe penalties, any person or organization who sends an Ethiopian national abroad for work without the appropriate employment license and visa status is punishable by imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not exceeding ten years with a 25,000 birr (2,268 USD, as of February 3, 2009) fine. Ethiopia is not a migrant labor destination. -- D. Prescribed penalties for rape or forcible sexual assault. Article 589 of the Penal Code makes rape punishable by imprisonment not to exceed ten years. If committed against a child under the age of 15, or to anyone under the protective custody or supervision of the accused person, or by a number of persons acting in concert, rape is punishable by imprisonment not to exceed 15 years. Forced sexual assault as defined by Article 590 of the Penal Code is punishable by imprisonment not exceeding eight years, or with "simple imprisonment" for not less than six months. Depending upon which article is used to prosecute, the penalties for rape and sexual assault may be more or less severe than the penalties for trafficking. -- E. Law Enforcement Statistics. According to the head of Addis Ababa's Federal High Court prosecution office, statistical data for TIP convictions are difficult to secure. Suspected criminals are mostly charged under Article 598 of the Penal Code (Unlawfully Sending of Ethiopians for Work Abroad). In December 2007, with assistance from MoLSA, the Federal High Court established a separate criminal (the 11th) bench to hear TIP cases. From January through December 2008, the 11th criminal bench convicted five people, and as of February 13, 2009, there are 55 cases still pending. Ninety-percent of those cases are related to overseas trafficking. Below are the most current details on four of the five cases. January 2008: One year imprisonment and 25,000 Birr fine for Sunamayt Tadele for illegally trafficking Almaz Kebede to Dubai where she was physically abused by her employers. March 2008: Five years rigorous imprisonment and 5,000 Birr fine for Amir Mustefa for illegally sending over 40 Ethiopians to work in Saudi Arabia where they were over-worked, underpaid, and physically abused. June 2008: Two individuals were convicted for trafficking. One received fifteen years of rigorous imprisonment and a 15,000 birr fine for trafficking an Ethiopian woman to Lebanon where she died under suspicious circumstances. Another received five years of rigorous imprisonment and a 5,000 birr fine for aiding the primary trafficker above in sending the woman to Lebanon. -- F. Specialized training provided by the GoE, NGOs, or supported through USG funding sources, for officials on how to recognize, investigate, and prosecute trafficking. In June 2008, IOM conducted a workshop on illegal migration for thirty immigration officers on TIP identification and investigation. In July 2008, IOM in partnership with ILO trained five trade union leaders from the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) on TIP-related ILO Conventions and Penal Codes. In December, MoFA organized an awareness raising panel for mid-level GoE officials working on TIP issues at MoLSA, MoJ, MoFA and MoWCA. In the fall of 2007, USAID supported an IOM designed and developed database to be used across all government agencies involved in TIP and irregular migration monitoring. The database is intended to track TIP-related data and migrant registrations. USAID also supported IOM in its development, production, and distribution of TIP prevention media and awareness materials for the general public. A total of 2,335 prevention materials on trafficking issues were distributed to judges, law enforcement officials, NGOs, students, and potential migrants. In March 2008, with USAID's support, IOM led a two-day TIP awareness and capacity building workshop for 65 civic association members and GoE representatives in Addis Ababa. USAIDQs anti-trafficking grant funding to IOM ended on March 31, 2008. -- G. GoE cooperation with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. Cooperation from destination countries is largely limited to those places where Ethiopia has an Embassy. Ethiopia plans to establish Labor Attaches in several gulf countries, in part to address trafficking issues. MoLSA expects that this step will improve cooperation from other governments. -- H. GoE extradition of persons who are charged with trafficking in other countries. In 2008, there were no formal reports of GoE trafficker extraditions. According to the International Law and Consular Affairs Directorate, Ethiopia extradites persons only to countries with which it has signed extradition treaties. Ethiopia has extradition treaties with most neighboring countries. MoFA does not collect data on trafficking offenders extradited. -- I. Evidence of government involvement in, or tolerance of, trafficking, on a local or institutional level. In 2008, there were no formal reports of GoE officials colluding with traffickers. -- J. Steps taken if government officials were involved in trafficking. N/A. -- K. Legal status of prostitution. Article 634 of the Ethiopian Penal Code (revised May 2005) states that "...whoever for gain makes a profession of or lives by procuring or on the prostitution or immorality of another, or maintains, as a landlord or keeper, a brothel, is punishable with simple imprisonment and a fine." While prostitution itself is not a criminal offense in Ethiopia, the law prohibits pimping or financially benefiting from prostitution. -- L. TIP status specific to international peacekeeping efforts and troop contribution. According to limited sources of information (U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa's Security Assistance Office),Ethiopian troops have not been charged in this or previous report cycles for engaging in TIP-related activities. The GoE's cooperative role has yet to be tested. Ethiopian troops are currently engaged in three international peacekeeping operations and are soon to participate in a fourth. Thus far there have been no reports of Ethiopian forces involved in TIP-related activities. -- M. Identified problem of child sex tourism. Ethiopia is not a known destination for child sex tourism. ¶8. (U) PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: -- A. GoE TIP protection under existing laws and in practice. In practice the GoE's court system lacks the capacity to provide protection under its existing laws to TIP victims. According to NGO sources, government authorities have not made any concerted effort to interview returned trafficked victims about their experiences. The government accords no special protections, shelter, housing or special services benefits to trafficking victims or witnesses. Many returned victims fear retribution not only from accused traffickers but also from other trafficked persons trapped in destination countries. There is no codified legal barrier to victims pursuing civil suits or seeking legal action against traffickers. There is no victim restitution program either. -- B. Victim care facilities (shelters or drop-in centers) accessible to trafficking victims. FSCE has CPUs (exclusively for children) and shelters in major cities such as Jimma, Bahir Dar, Dire Dawa, Nazareth, Nekempt, Shashemene, Awassa, and Addis Ababa. FSCE has launched a TIP childrenQs victim hotline in coordination with the Addis Ababa Police Commission, enabling the public to more readily report suspected TIP cases. The Organization for the Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Integration of Female Street Children (OPRIFS) has two shelters that can accommodate 75 child TIP victims (female) at any one time. Temporarily sheltered children are typically provided with meals, basic education classes, psychological counseling and vocational training. While a Charities and Societies Proclamation passed in January 2009 will prohibit foreign-funded NGOs from informing trafficking victims of their rights, or advocating for TIP victims' rights, victim care facilities, per se, should not be affected by the law. In January 2008, the Good Samaritan Association (GSA) was forced to close its TIP shelter due to funding constraints. --C. Government provision of access to legal, medical and psychological services to trafficking victims. The GoE does not provide legal, medical, or psychological services to trafficking victims. -- D. Government assistance to foreign trafficking victims. Typically, the GoE's assistance to foreign trafficking victims is limited to embassy and consulate referrals. -- E. Government provision of longer-term shelter or housing benefits to victims or other resources to aid the victims in rebuilding their lives. Typically NGOs, not the GoE, provide limited and temporary shelter to returnee TIP victims. In February 2008, IOM assisted in the reunification of 34 TIP victims with their families. From January through December, GSA assisted six returnee (internally) trafficked victims (women) to launch small businesses via its training and small grants programs. It also reunified ten TIP victims with their families, provided another twelve with counseling services, and covered expenses for four who had long-term psychiatric hospitalizations. In January 2008, GSA was forced to close its TIP shelter due to funding constraints. It is noteworthy that from January 2003 to March 2008, USAID funded IOM to provide another TIP (mostly young adult) victim telephone hotline. The fund also provided for a weekly 20 minute program on Ethiopian national radio to discuss TIP issues with callers. The radio program and the hotline have been discontinued due to lack of funding. IOM continues to provide limited counseling and referral services to callers who contact their offices. --F. GoE referral process to transfer victims detained, arrested or placed in protective custody by law enforcement. The most well-known protective TIP victim entities in Ethiopia are the CPUs, co-run by the police and FSCE. These CPUs are specialized police sub-stations with on-site social workers, shelters, and minimal supportive services available to child victims only. -- G. Total number of trafficking victims identified during the reporting period. In Addis Ababa alone, 972 children were reported (from FSCE-supported CPUs) as trafficked in 2008. Seventy-five percent of those children were girls. Of these, 40 were placed in foster care, 93 were sent to temporary shelters (FSCE, IOM, or ORPIFIS) until their families were traced, and 766 were reunified with relatives in Addis or outlying regions. NGOs (OPRIFIS, FSCE, and IOM) worked in conjunction with the police and provided the majority of shelter and social services. According to a 2008 FSCE TIP report, the number of female internal trafficking victims from the Oromia (123),Amhara (114) and Southern regions (112) is on the rise. -- H. Formal government systems to proactively identify victims of trafficking. Refer to 7-F. To date, the database is not yet fully operational. -- I. Rights of TIP victims. There were no formal reports of TIP victims being detained, jailed, prosecuted, or fined during this cycle. Victims are rarely prosecuted for prostitution, but are sometimes charged for violations of other laws such as those governing immigration. -- J. Law enforcement encouragement of victims to assist in trafficking investigation and prosecution. While police investigators may encourage TIP victims to come forward with possible evidence for investigation and prosecution, they rarely have the financial resources to support victims in so doing. Typically, returnee victims have to travel great distances to make court appearances or meet with investigators. Although there are few means for a victim to obtain restitution, if a victim is a material witness in a court case against a former employer, the victim is permitted to seek other employment pending the trial proceedings. -- K. Government-provided specialized training for officials in identifying trafficking victims and in the provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the special needs of trafficked children. Refer to 7-F regarding GoE officials training on TIP identification. The GoE provided no specialized training for its officials on the provision of assistance to trafficked victims, or on the special needs of trafficked children. -- L. Government provision of assistance, such as medical aid, shelter, or financial help, to its nationals who are repatriated as victims of trafficking. Refer to 8-D. Most TIP services are designed, brokered, and implemented by NGOs, often financed by international donors. In July, IOM, supported by the Ethiopian and Tanzanian governments, returned a group of trafficking victims from Dar-Es-Salaam to their homes in Ethiopia. -- M. International organizations or NGOs, if any, working with trafficking victims. Types of services provided, cooperation received from local authorities. The most prominent international organizations of this type are PCI, ILO, IOM, and UNICEF. UNICEF has been promoting counter-trafficking and victimsQ assistance measures in Ethiopia for twenty years, mainly through MoLSA. UNICEF provides training and logistical support to youth clubs on HIV/AIDS, child labor abuse, and trafficking. For the last three years, UNICEF has directed the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a comprehensive "Justice for Children Programme." This has included the development of training packages for judges and prosecutors on ILO Conventions and Penal Code Articles relevant to trafficking. During this reporting cycle, an IOM campaign provided information on the risks of visa fraud and trafficking to migrants, potential migrants, victims of trafficking, returnees and their families. Approximately 60,000 people have benefited from these services during the past eight years. IOM co-leads the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking (IMTFT). In the fall of 2007, IOM provided technical assistance to the IMTFT via the establishment of a database to track labor migration patterns. As of December 2008, MoLSA staff had not yet received full training on how to use the database. As such, the IOM supported, USAID funded database is not yet a functional tracking tool at any of the Ministry offices. In July 2008, Project Concern International (PCI) Ethiopia launched a two-year G/TIP-funded "Anti-Trafficking-in-Persons Project" to improve the delivery of victim protection and assistance services for both children and adults and to increase human trafficking prosecutions in Ethiopia. The ILO Sub-Regional Office in Addis Ababa has undertaken two studies on existing legislative TIP frameworks. ILO is now analyzing the compatibility of the GoE's proposed amendments to the Private Employment Agencies Proclamation with ILO Convention No. 181. ILO convention 181 seeks to ensure that employment agencies sending workers abroad help to protect them from trafficking and visa fraud. ¶9. (U) PREVENTION: -- A. Anti-trafficking information or education campaigns during the reporting period. In early and late 2008, IOM broadcasted national anti-TIP radio spots in Amharic, Tigrigna, Oromiffa, and Somali languages, along with IOM hotline numbers. Callers from across the regions were provided with counseling services with a special focus on the risks of trafficking and legal alternatives to labor migration. Towards the end of 2008, IOM launched another such program on Ethiopian national radio in Addis Ababa on the risks of trafficking visa fraud. --B. Government monitoring of immigration and emigration patterns for trafficking evidence. The government monitors immigration and emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking. With IOM and other NGO partner assistance, thirty 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, little else has been done. -- C. Mechanism for coordination and communication between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral on trafficking-related matters. Refer to 6-B on the Task Force. -- D. National plan of action to address trafficking in persons. An amended bill, the "Employment Exchange Service Proclamation", was very recently submitted to parliament for review. The legislation seeks to set better minimum wages for workers, outlaw extraneous commission fees, and require employment agencies to open branches in every country they send recruits to. The bill may be passed in the next several months. MoLSA has recently pledged to deploy Labor Attaches to most of the gulf state countries known to be trafficking destinations for Ethiopians. In November, a task force headed up by MoLSA consisting of UN agencies, government institutions, NGOs, and civic societies was established to develop a national plan of action on the elimination of child labor in Ethiopia, with a sub-focus on child trafficking measures. While this plan of action is specific to child labor, broader TIP issues are noted in the 2006 Inter-Ministerial Task Force on TraffickingQs National Action Plan (draft). Little action has been taken to either finalize the 2006 Task Force draft document, or work on the deliverables (such as better coordinating anti-TIP efforts across the Ministries) highlighted therein. According to an ILO Program Officer, the 25 members of the task force on the elimination of child labor started drafting the action plan in early December. MoLSA and MoWCA have no clear or fixed guidelines, duties, or responsibilities specific to the national action planQs development. -- E: Measures the government has taken during the reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. We were unable to identify any GoE measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during this reporting period. -- F. Measures the government has taken during the reporting period to reduce the participation in international child sex tourism by nationals of the country. Refer to 7-M. Ethiopia is not a known destination for international child sex tourism. -- G. GoE measures to prevent Ethiopians in international peacekeeping operations from engaging in trafficking or exploiting trafficking victims. Refer to 7-L. The engagement in, or exploitation of victims of, trafficking has not arisen as an issue with Ethiopian peacekeepers. YAMAMOTO