When many individual voices become one strong, unified voice
‘This was the very first time that our voices had been heard and fed into government recommendations, that the government had come, listened and discussed with us,’ Workayehu Bizu, Executive Director of the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) in Ethiopia, is delighted to report. Together with the Ethiopian Emmanuel Development Association (EDA) and with support from the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme, they have established community platforms, bringing together returnees, migrants, local community leaders and representatives of local and regional migration authorities. ‘Through the platforms, we could incorporate opinions and ideas from the ‘bottom’, from the grassroot communities, into policy-making processes, ´ explains Bizus. ´The policies can in return be cascaded down through the platforms and thus be fully applied at the local level.’
First two platforms set up
The two first platforms were established in Metema and Sodo. Metema is located on the Ethiopia–Sudan border on the northern route, a major irregular migration corridor. For many years, migrants travelled north through Sudan, but now hundreds of thousands of Sudanese are fleeing the violence in their country, passing through this small town separated from Sudan only by a narrow river. Metema has also long been a key destination for seasonal labour migrants from various regions during the harvest season.
Sodo is an administrative and trading centre in the South and well connected by seven roads to neighbouring areas. Its geographical location let to increasing migration from rural areas, putting a significant strain on public services, such as housing, water, electricity and health care. The city is also a hub for child trafficking, with children being taken from rural areas to Sodo, where they are subjected to labour exploitation and physical abuse.
Safe space for open discussions
The platforms not only serve to develop recommendations to shape the country’s migration policy but also allow people to meet and understand life stories different from their own. ‘For some community members, it was the first time they had talked to migrants, to the people who had moved into their community,’ explains Yonas Ashagari from EDA. ‘It helps to reduce feelings of mistrust and build mutual understanding.’
Religious leader Liqe Teguhan Ezra, who is a platform member, observed that ‘people were afraid to speak honestly during platform discussions at first because the stakeholders included government officials, but once the training started, that fear lifted, and frank and constructive discussions followed’. For returnees like Gizachew Asmamaw, the strength of the platform lies in the participation of different stakeholders: ‘The platforms allow the voices of common people about policies and practices to be heard by government officials. This was a great start. ‘
Little by little, trust was built, allowing migrants to feel at ease and openly share stories about their experiences abroad and challenges they faced along the route. Like Nejat Awol, a returnee who went to Saudi Arabia and ended up working under harsh conditions without a work permit. She does not want her fellow citizens to suffer a similar fate and is happy to contribute to developing policies and good practices on migration.
Training on facilitation skills, migration policies and laws, advocacy and communication skills equipped platform members to formulate policy recommendations, for example, on job creation. Recommendations made involved matching job opportunities with available human resources in a certain area, enabling young people to set up micro and small businesses and obliging recruitment agencies to follow up on the wellbeing of migrant workers as well as regularly revising the agency´s licenses. In total, 36 recommendations emerged from the discussions and training.
Bizu and Ashagari are overwhelmed by the success of the platforms. They have been advocating for better migration management and better protection of migrants for many years and put their heart and soul into this work. Ashagari summarises what drives them: ‘The person being trafficked or suffering on the migration route could be your daughter, your brother, your aunt. We are all affected, and it is our civic duty to extend a helping hand to these people.’
More information
The Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme, funded by the European Union (EU) and Germany, aims to improve migration management in the Horn of Africa. It follows a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to involve all actors concerned with migration. The community platforms, established by Bristish Council, ensure that the perspectives of those affected by migration at the local level are incorporated into policies and regulations. To date, 22 community platforms hve been established in 4 countries, comprising over 5,700 people. BMM is coordinated by GIZ and implemented together with the British Council, CIVIPOL, IOM and UNODC.
Author: Julia Kost