Roundtable and expert meetings on illegal migration and human trafficking from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula

During the roundtable on 1 October 2024, a new Free the Slaves study was presented. The study focusses on perilous migratory routes connecting the Horn of Africa to Yemen and onward to the Gulf countries. Driven by a combination of economic need, conflict, and climate change, many migrants from Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti resort to irregular migration. This exposes them to severe risks, including exploitation by smugglers and human traffickers at various stages of their journeys. The report highlights specific abuses such as forced labor, sexual exploitation, and hazardous child labor, underscoring the vulnerability of women and children, who constitute a significant portion of trafficking victims. To combat these challenges, the study recommends a multi-faceted approach: addressing the root causes of migration through economic development, climate resilience, and conflict resolution in countries of origin; strengthening anti-trafficking measures and governance in transit countries like Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen; and urging Gulf monarchies to enhance migrant protections. The international community is also called to prioritize the Eastern migratory route, often overlooked in global migration discourse, and to press destination countries to integrate human rights protections into their migration policies. Roundtable participants from IGAD, IOM, Addis-based Embassies, the Gulf Research Center (GRC), migrantrights.org, the GIZ Better Migration Program, and other migration stakeholders discussed the study’s findings and recommendations. Furthermore, FES AMPC organized a series of bilateral meetings on 2 October with Ethiopian government authorities to explore the needs and challenges in addressing the human rights risks of migrants in the region.  

Disclaimer: FES AMPC did not commission or participate in the conduct of the study. The center only supported the presentation of the study during the roundtable in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.