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The problem of unaccompanied migrant children in Ethiopia has been a challenge for authorities, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the severity of the problem. More than 8,300 unaccompanied migrant children have returned to Ethiopia mainly from Gulf countries over the past three years.
So far in 2020, hundreds of migrant children who have returned to Ethiopia due to COVID-19 are reuniting with their families with the help of IOM, the International Organization for Migration.
IOM has learned that many minors require medical and psychosocial support after having endured difficult journeys to get home. Due to shock and trauma, some are unable to remember family members and contacts. In such cases, designated social workers refer minors to mental health specialists at quarantine facilities and accompany them to their places of origin once they are fit to travel.
“We have been personally accompanying these young children to their regional cities to physically search for their families, while communicating with local government officials about possible names, addresses and phone numbers of potential family members,” said Tirusew Getachew, a social worker seconded by UNICEF in the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth.
Since the start of the global pandemic, nearly 500 minors, including children between the ages of 15 and 17, have arrived in the country from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Djibouti, among other nations. Many left Ethiopia alone and some lost contact with their families while taking dangerous and risky trips mainly to Gulf countries in search of work.
After arriving home, many of the children have spent time in quarantine facilities in the capital Addis Ababa. With the help of IOM and government-appointed social workers, in collaboration with government authorities, their families have been traced by collecting biological data from unaccompanied minors upon arrival at quarantine facilities, and then using contact information and addresses to try to find their families.
For those who find their families, IOM covers the travel expenses to reunite them. IOM can also provide small cash grants to parents or guardians caring for children, thanks to funding from the US Department of State’s Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).
“PRM’s assistance comes at a vital time when the impact of COVID-19 on returning migrants, migrant children and the country at large is undetermined. The need to mobilize resources and support the response of the Ethiopian Government to help migrant children is immediate, ”said Malambo Moonga, Head of Migration Management at IOM Ethiopia.
Family search and reunification is an integral part of IOM Ethiopia’s commitment to implement the Regional Migrant Response Plan (2018-2020), a framework that aims to meet the humanitarian and protection needs of some 235,000 vulnerable migrants in Ethiopia , Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen. .
“The impact of family tracing and reunification services provided by IOM and its partners, especially on migrant children, is unparalleled. Sometimes unaccompanied minors return with severe psychosocial distress, having experienced trauma on their migration journey, ”said Alemitu Umod, Ethiopia’s Minister for Women, Children and Youth.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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