 |
| Most Rev. Archbishop Berhaneyesus D. Souraphiel CM, Archbishop of Addis Ababa |
peaking to AMECEA Online News recently in Nairobi Fr. Haile Gabriel Meleku said that the Catholic Church in Ethiopia is actively involved in the rehabilitation and repatriation process because it is part of the central committee in the illegal migration which the federal government of the Ethiopia is currently undertaking.
Fr. Meleku explained that many unemployed girls and boys especially from the rural areas in Ethiopia have ran away in search of better lives or greener pasture in Israel, Europe, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arabs Emirates, Qatar and Lebanon. “Many of the victims the majority of who are girls are not educated or well exposed and are usually taken advantage of by the agencies that organize such migrations,” he said adding that“In most cases, they don’t have proper documentations and end up with forged documents.”
“The victims are lured by the promise of better job opportunities, better pay and better lives, something which is never the case. When these young uneducated and inexperienced victims get to the Middle East, their documents are often confiscated, they are exploited, abused, some jailed while others even killed,” he said.
Fr. Meleku explained that so far over 200,000 youth from Ethiopia have migrated to Middle East and in some villages in Ethiopia, the situation is so bad to an extend that there are no young people to care for their elders.
Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affair posted on its tweeter handle on Wednesday 27ththat the government has flown home over 50,000 citizens from Saudi Arabia after a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Ethiopia started repatriating citizens living illegally in Saudi Arabia after a seven-month amnesty period to formalize their status expired on Nov. 4th2013.
Fr. Meleku said that while the Federal government of Ethiopia put aside 50 Million Birr (about USD 2.6 Million) for the purpose of repatriation of its citizens from the Middle East, the Religious Leaders have a role to play by creating awareness to the public through conferences and workshops to enlighten people about the danger of illegal migration and also to encourage people to remain in the country to improve their lives. “This is what the Catholic Church in Ethiopia is doing through the Migration Desk at the Secretariat in Addis,” he said.
Fr. Meleku said that the economy of the country is growing and the situation is improving, and that the chances for the people to live a better life are there; what is needed is for people to work hard.
In addition to the solving the problem the government of Ethiopia requested the religious leaders to join hands with them to support the repatriates. As they arrive in Addis Ababa from Middle East, the repatriates are provided with temporary shelter as they are rehabilitated through counseling before they are taken back to their homes where they originally came from. The government also ensures that they are provided with means of survival through cooperatives which they are encouraged to join.
 |
| Religious leaders meeting Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs to discuss issues of repatriation of citizens. Archbishop Berhaneyesus of Addis Ababa in pink scull cap also attended |
He said that the government has taken a drastic measure to stop migration of citizens by restricting the issuance of passports and making a close follow up of those who are leaving the country and for what period. “Only those with clear missions abroad such as attending meetings and coming back after a short while are given permission to leave the country,” he said.
Problem of illegal migration is very common among African Countries where citizens are faced with high levels of unemployment and desperation for better lives. On 3rdOctober 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was reported that the boat had sailed from Misrata, Libya, but that many of the migrants were originally from Eritrea.
Source: AMECEA Social Communications