A two-day discussion on designing specialized support packages for vulnerable migrants, with a particular focus on Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC), Refugees, Victims of Trafficking (VoT) and Migrant Women took place on 1-2 March 2016 in Addis Ababa. This effort, led by IOM, brought together 30 representatives of various local and international NGOs, UN agencies, including UN Women and UNICEF, as well as faith-based organizations, such as Ethiopian Orthodox Church-Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission (EOC-DICAC), and the Government of Ethiopia.

In order to provide a better, more tailored line of action, presentations, exchanges and round table discussions on the nature of each vulnerability group, their specific needs and the gaps and challenges in addressing their needs, as well as suggestions for specialized packages, were put forward during the workshop.

A suggestion proposed during the workshop was to distinguish migrants who fall under one, two or multiple vulnerability categories and provide specialized support accordingly. For example, a UMC who is physically disabled and is also a victim of trafficking require a specific approach that is different from migrants who  fall under one vulnerable category only. Another important issue raised was to mainstream gender through the provision of specialized services.

IOM has been working on a referral mechanism, which brings together different relevant agencies to provide, request for and exchange services with the aim of strengthening the network of assistance for victims and to coordinate the efforts of NGOs working on vulnerable migrants. IOM, as the coordinator, facilitates access to services provided by members of the network. The participants at the event appreciated IOM’s role in bringing the network together and proposed to facilitate communication between partner organizations working on vulnerable migrants as well as creating a website for the network. IOM also proposed to relinquish its role as mediator and suggested direct communication between the members to save time, increase efficiency and foster collaboration amongst members.

Recommendations for improving capacity building activities included increasing material and financial support for the local organizations as well as strengthening collaboration in the provision of services.

The organization of this event was funded by the United Nations Delivering Results Together Fund (UNDRTF) project.

For further information, please contact Alemayehu Seifeselassie at IOM Ethiopia, Tel: +251.91.163.9082, Email: salemayehu@iom.int