Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia

Human trafficking has recently emerged as an exceedingly intricate international crime. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most vulnerable region from which a substantial amount of victims has been recruited for both continental and intercontinental transaction. This also holds true for Ethiopian men, women...

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Main Authors: Padmanabham Murugan, Biniam Abebaw
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Addis Ababa University 2014-12-01
Series:Ethiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities
Subjects:
Online Access:http://10.90.104.77/index.php/EJSSH/article/view/6271
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author Padmanabham Murugan
Biniam Abebaw
author_facet Padmanabham Murugan
Biniam Abebaw
author_sort Padmanabham Murugan
collection DOAJ
description Human trafficking has recently emerged as an exceedingly intricate international crime. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most vulnerable region from which a substantial amount of victims has been recruited for both continental and intercontinental transaction. This also holds true for Ethiopian men, women and children who have been immensely draining out via various channels within assorted trafficking networks. This study assesses factors contributing to human trafficking and victimization and the contexts of vulnerability with reference to stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia. Employing a cross-sectional qualitative research, primary data were gathered from various groups of purposely selected subjects: stranded victims, traffickers, law enforcing agents and social service providers. In-depth interviews, key-informant interviews, focus group discussions and non-participant observation were used as methods of acquiring information which was, finally, analyzed thematically to provide a qualitative account on the problem under study. The study found that victims highly pressured by various social structural factors (for instance, poverty, excessive social stress on economic success, the submission of non-economic institutions to the drives of economic calculations, the targets’ bounded economic rationality, the expansion of migration/employment agencies and the effect of migration networks) towards migration which ultimately made them motivated targets of trafficking. Once recruited, they are subjected to abusive and exploitative relationship with the traffickers which exposed them to various difficult situations.
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spelling doaj.art-a4732eb26986400ab95df7b48620aa6b2023-06-08T10:55:24ZengAddis Ababa UniversityEthiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities1810-44872520-582X2014-12-011027510510.1314/ejossah.v10i2.4Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, EthiopiaPadmanabham Murugan0Biniam Abebaw1Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Addis Ababa UniversityLecturer, School of Social Work and Sociology, University of Gondar, GondarHuman trafficking has recently emerged as an exceedingly intricate international crime. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most vulnerable region from which a substantial amount of victims has been recruited for both continental and intercontinental transaction. This also holds true for Ethiopian men, women and children who have been immensely draining out via various channels within assorted trafficking networks. This study assesses factors contributing to human trafficking and victimization and the contexts of vulnerability with reference to stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia. Employing a cross-sectional qualitative research, primary data were gathered from various groups of purposely selected subjects: stranded victims, traffickers, law enforcing agents and social service providers. In-depth interviews, key-informant interviews, focus group discussions and non-participant observation were used as methods of acquiring information which was, finally, analyzed thematically to provide a qualitative account on the problem under study. The study found that victims highly pressured by various social structural factors (for instance, poverty, excessive social stress on economic success, the submission of non-economic institutions to the drives of economic calculations, the targets’ bounded economic rationality, the expansion of migration/employment agencies and the effect of migration networks) towards migration which ultimately made them motivated targets of trafficking. Once recruited, they are subjected to abusive and exploitative relationship with the traffickers which exposed them to various difficult situations.http://10.90.104.77/index.php/EJSSH/article/view/6271human traffickingmigrationvictimizationvulnerabilitypoverty
spellingShingle Padmanabham Murugan
Biniam Abebaw
Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia
Ethiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities
human trafficking
migration
victimization
vulnerability
poverty
title Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia
title_full Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia
title_fullStr Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia
title_short Factors Contributing to Human Trafficking, Contexts of Vulnerability and Patterns of Victimization: The case of stranded victims in Metema, Ethiopia
title_sort factors contributing to human trafficking contexts of vulnerability and patterns of victimization the case of stranded victims in metema ethiopia
topic human trafficking
migration
victimization
vulnerability
poverty
url http://10.90.104.77/index.php/EJSSH/article/view/6271
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