Ethiopia is a source, and to a lesser extent, a destination and transit country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking. Girls from Ethiopia's impoverished rural areas are exploited in commercial sex within the country.
Rescued from a life of prostitution in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, faces significant challenges related to prostitution and sex trafficking.
The Scope of Prostitution in Addis Ababa
In Ethiopia, tens of thousands of women - many underage - are being driven to a life of prostitution. In Ethiopian context, teenage prostitution involves girls from the age of 15 to 22. Studies indicate that teenage girls are getting involved in commercial sex at a high rate. Indeed, many young female university students are involved in commercial sex businesses although they prefer not to consider themselves as prostitutes.
The central market in Addis Ababa is home to the largest collection of brothels in Africa, with girls as young as 8-years-old in prostitution in these establishments.
Financial Aspects of Female Sex Workers' Lives
Understanding the financial context of the lives of female sex workers (FSWs) is essential to address structural drivers of HIV risk. FSWs generated 90.1% of total cash from sex work, with a median weekly income of USD 60.53. They engaged mostly in protected vaginal sex, earning approximately USD 4.57 per act. Food, housing, and clothing represented the largest areas of expenditure. Around 17% of expenses were recorded as costs of sex work (e.g., alcohol). Median weekly expenditures accounted for 62% of median weekly income. Nearly all participants reported depositing money into savings at least once over six weeks, while 71% reported a loan transaction during the six-week period, most as borrowers.
Read also: Ethiopian Cuisine: Philadelphia Guide
The following table summarizes the financial aspects of FSWs in Addis Ababa:
| Financial Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| Percentage of Total Cash from Sex Work | 90.1% |
| Median Weekly Income | USD 60.53 |
| Earnings per Protected Vaginal Sex Act | USD 4.57 |
| Percentage of Expenses as Costs of Sex Work | 17% |
| Median Weekly Expenditures as Percentage of Median Weekly Income | 62% |
Factors Contributing to Prostitution
Previously, poverty is known to be the major factor for the rate of increase in prostitution in developing countries like Ethiopia. However, the history of many teenage girls tells a different story about the current nature of commercial sex in the country. Most of the conventional sex workers come from rural areas mainly to avoid early marriage or in search of a better education, career and future. Transactional sex workers engage in the business to earn extra income or to cover their needs that are beyond necessity.
According to Girmachew Mamo (MD), PSI’s Assistant Project Manager, the majority of the commercial sex workers in urban areas like Addis Ababa are categorised as transactional sex workers. “Many high school and university students are becoming transactional sex workers, they [engage in] sex for getting easy money and live a ‘luxurious’ life,” he explains.
Challenges Faced by Sex Workers
Commercial sex workers face numerous challenges. It has many terrible influences on her already in such as getting addicted to drugs and alcohols, losing respect from others and getting insulted. There are men who have unusual sexual desires and when we refuse to entertain that, they use their physical power on us. As a counselor, I have observed several psychological problems on the commercial sex workers as a result of the abuse they experience. Teenage and young sex workers have low self-esteem and identity crises because they feel neglected and undermined by the society.
Sex Trafficking and Irregular Migration
Ethiopia is a source and, to a lesser extent, destination and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Ethiopian girls are forced into domestic servitude and prostitution outside of Ethiopia, primarily in Djibouti, South Sudan, and in the Middle East. Many young Ethiopians transit through Djibouti, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, or Yemen as they emigrate seeking work in the Middle East; some become stranded and exploited in these transit countries, and are subjected to detention, extortion, and severe abuses-some of which include forced labor and sex trafficking-while en route to their final destinations.
Read also: Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine
Saudi Arabia remains the primary destination for irregular migrants; reportedly, over 400,000 Ethiopians reside there. Saudi officials regularly deport Ethiopians in large numbers, and many of the deportees reported instances of sexual exploitation. Ethiopian women who migrate for work or flee abusive employers in the Middle East are also vulnerable to sex trafficking.
Human trafficking is a severe issue affecting many Ethiopian migrants.
Government and NGO Efforts
The Government of Ethiopia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The Federal High Court convicted 106 traffickers and worked with international partners to shelter and provide emergency care to trafficking victims. In 2013, following an influx of trafficking victims returning to Ethiopia, the government recognized problems with its oversight of Ethiopian-based employment agencies, which were failing to protect workers sent overseas.
In addition to NGOs, the government has a role in addressing the challenges of commercial sex workers especially teenagers. Ethiopia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography in 2013. Two years ago, the government announced that it adopted a plan to prevent and eliminate the worst forms of teenage labor, one of which is child prostitution and carried out extensive activities aimed at sensitising the public about the adverse effects of teenage sexual exploitation and prostitution.
Legal Framework and Enforcement
Ethiopia prohibits sex and labor trafficking through criminal code Articles 596 (Enslavement), 597 (Trafficking in Women and Children), 635 (Traffic in Women and Minors), and 636 (Aggravation to the Crime). The government maintained its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts during the reporting period, but its efforts continued to focus wholly on transnational trafficking, with little evidence that the government investigated or prosecuted sex trafficking or internal labor trafficking cases.
Read also: A Taste of Ethiopia in South Carolina
