SLAVERY IN ETHIOPIA

SLAVERY IN ETHIOPIA

The Global Slavery Index has revealed that Ethiopia fares amongst the highest 12 countries that have reduced a part of their population to slavery.

The report states: when considered in absolute terms, the countries with the highest numbers of enslaved people are… India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, the  DR Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Taken together these ten countries account for 76% of the total estimate of 29.8 million enslaved people. The index goes to define modern slavery as follows:

“What is modern slavery?

In 2013, modern slavery takes many forms, and is known by many names: slavery, forced labour or human trafficking.

‘Slavery’ refers to the condition of treating another person as if they were property – something to be bought, sold, traded or even destroyed.

‘Forced labour’ is a related but not identical concept, referring to work taken without consent, by threats or coercion.

‘Human trafficking’ is another related concept, referring to the process through which people are brought, through deception, threats or coercion, into slavery, forced labour or other forms of severe exploitation.

Whatever term is used, the significant characteristic of all forms of modern slavery is that it involves one person depriving another people of their freedom: their freedom to leave one job for another, their freedom to leave one workplace for another, their freedom to control their own body.”

In Ethiopia close to 680,000 people are considered to be victims of modern slavery. Human trafficking is a flourishing business controlled by the ruling regime. Thousands of Ethiopian women are trafficked to the Middle East, Libya, Yemen, etc .to a horrible state of domestic slavery. Thousands of children are sold via the adoption racket and most of these children are not even orphans. Early marriage is widespread and underage girls and boys ply the prostitution market which is favoured by the regime in place. Freedom is an illusion in modern day Ethiopia and prisoners are not only tortured but forced to work in the labour camps like Zwai, Dedesa, Bir Shlelko, etc. Child labour is also rampant all over the country. Modern day slavery flourishes in Ethiopia and SOCEPP exposes and denounces this situation in no uncertain terms.

 INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS INJUSTICE EVERYWHERE

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