The children who run away to work - Ethiopia's hidden weavers
Children in Ethiopia are exploited in the weaving industry due to poverty, culture, family pressure and clandestine trafficking networks.
Government: Government has had some successes in shutting down hubs where illegal child work has been conducted but the it is still a major issue:
- "Despite a win at Shiromeda, child labor in the weaving sector...has not vanished but only changed form and location,"
- Children now mostly working on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, where they are out of sight.
- "[The adults] tell you that learning the weaving process helps a kid's future. Of course, you cannot easily end what's in the culture. Yet making a living by making children work overnight, and telling them it is for their own good, cannot be contemplated."
Runaways: Lots of children leave their homes and go to Addis Ababa looking for jobs:
- "Although the government has established committees to reunite rescued children with their families, campaigners said most were likely to migrate again because of poverty, hope for a better life and community expectations."
Activism: Activist work to convince poor parents not to send their children to Addis Ababa:
- Mission for Community Development Program "has used music, drama and radio to inform communities, provided safe houses to rehabilitate rescued children and trained the police to protect at risk youngsters."
Big Picture: Child trafficking is a major problem in Ethiopia
- Children are transported stowed among the luggage in bus trunk
- Corruption helps ensure the practice continues
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