The National Committee set up to combat illegal human trafficking held its second meeting on Friday (January 11th). The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, the Committee Chairman.

The meeting stressed the importance of firmly encouraging youth to make a living in their home country. It also endorsed a document for the start of a nationwide movement against illegal human trafficking. The Committee praised the labor agreements signed with Kuwait and Jordan and the efforts underway to sign similar agreements with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Demeke Mekonnen noted that "though the efforts made so far to stop human trafficking falls short of being satisfactory, the document prepared to encourage the mobilization of public opinion will have an important contribution in addressing the problem."

The Chairman also stressed the importance of coordinating efforts at all levels from federal to woreda to help deal with the issue. The meeting heard reports from regional states on some of their activities to combat illegal trafficking. These included: the registration of unemployed youth, job creation activities and the repatriation of youth arrested while crossing borders.