Scoping review of empirical studies on human trafficking in Ethiopia

In spite of the considerable efforts and initiatives since 2020 (Proclamation 1178/2020 was issued) in addressing the problem, the government of Ethiopia doesn't fully comply with the minimum standards of Human Trafficking Victims Protection Act's for the elimination of human trafficking. The main objective of this review was to evaluate empirical studies on human trafficking in Ethiopia and identify gaps for further research. The discussion is based on a desk review of published literatures on Ethiopians trafficked into various Arab countries. Literatures were identified through scoping literature review approach. The desk review result revealed that empirical research on human trafficking in Ethiopia seems still in its early stage despite its indispensable role in combating the problem. Furthermore, the empirical studies reviewed on trafficking in Ethiopia are either focused on women victims or focused on the causes of trafficking giving due importance only for economic factors such as poverty, unemployment and gender inequality. Furthermore, in Ethiopia factors of human trafficking were mostly studied qualitatively. However, the victims of human trafficking are both sexes and migration in the Ethiopia has been fueled by diverse and interwoven political, socio-economic and environmental factors. Accordingly, to better understand causes of human trafficking, the complex ways in which political, economic and socio-cultural factors interact within and across country borders shall be well discussed employing mixed approach and targeting women in relation to men. Moreover, to better understand the extent and magnitude of trafficking from Ethiopia, human trafficking ought to be systematically documented employing Socio-Ecological Model.