Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Persons Proclamation No. 1178/2020.

The Proclamation provides for he discipline of trafficking in persons, aggravating circumstances, assisting the act of human trafficking, presumption of exploitation. Under the Proclamation the act of trafficking in person is defined as: any person who holds another person in slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or debt bondages; exploited in removing organs or prostitution or other forms of sexual activities of another person; engages another person in forced labor or service, begging or criminal act, forced marriage, surrogacy, or exploited children in labor, or commit exploitation similar to these acts shall be punishable. Moreover the Proclamation disciplines smuggling, unlawful sending of persons abroad for work and related crimes, such as failure to Report the Commission of an Offence, offences against whistleblowers.
The Proclamation envisages also actions aimed at crime prevention these encompasses: actions to protect persons vulnerable to danger through search any of transport, house, location or premises to rescue persons subjected to or harmed by the act and stop and investigate persons crossing or in the process of crossing a border; freezing and seizing of property associated with a crime; confiscation of property. among others. Other provisions concern modalities to return victims to Ethiopia, rehabilitate and protect victims, protection of witnesses, rehabilitation.
The Proclamation also establishes a fund for the rehabilitation of victims of crime of trafficking in persons, the smuggling of persons and unlawful sending of person abroad for work (hereinafter “the Fund”) with the objective: to cover the costs of medical, psychological and legal counsel, transportation and other services for victims; to provide material support to victims; to provide technical training and support for the economic empowerment of victims; to provide support for an effort to locate families and reintegrate victims with their families and communities; for the construction of temporary shelters to victims; and to pay compensation determined by the court in accordance with Regulations to be issued by the Council of Ministers. A Council at national level to coordinate the prevention and control of the crimes of trafficking in persons, smuggling of persons and unlawful sending of person abroad for work (hereinafter “the National Council”) is alsoy established under this Proclamation. The National Council shall be accountable to the Prime Minister.