August 17, 2017 - A total of 370 human traffickers and facilitators were detained and brought to justice over the last Ethiopian fiscal year, the Ethiopian News Agency reports. Yebeltal Walelen, Office Coordinator at Office of the Secretariat for Anti-Human trafficking Taskforce told ENA that the individuals were sentenced up to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment. Apart from arresting traffickers, awareness creation programs on the dangers involved in illegal migration was also conducted throughout Ethiopia.

Through the monitoring activities, 8,500 Ethiopians who were to be smuggled out of the country through the border areas were repatriated back to Ethiopia. Basazin Deribe, PR Officer at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs said awareness creation training programs were provided for more than 19,000 community members on the perils of illegal migration and human trafficking.

He added that activities to rehabilitate more than 67,700 Ethiopian returnees through the provision of various capacity building programs over the previous year was also conducted. Over the past two years more than 860 human traffickers and brokers were sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment and fine of 150,000 Birr.