Exploring the Role of the Community in Preventing Child Trafficking in Woreta Town, South Gondar Zone, North West Ethiopia

Abstract

Child trafficking is a serious problem in which affects the existence of children, families and the whole community all over the world. Child trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation. The study was explored the role of the community in preventing child trafficking, in Woreta Town, South Gondar Zone, North West. The study employed qualitative research methods particularly case study design. During the collection of data, twenty community informants, four police office informants, and four road and transport office informants, six informants from women and children affair office were used. The study purposively selected different parts of the community in order to get depth information on the issue. The qualitative data were generated by using in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Thematic analysis was used in the study. The finding of the study revealed that the Woreta community played awareness creation, publically advocating and struggling against the illegal activities of broker roles to prevent child trafficking. Yet, the community faced economic problems, lack of coordination with other stakeholders and lack of awareness to achieve the prevention strategies. The implication of this study indicated that social work practice work on mobilizing the community in enhancing to promote their assets, it helps them to mobilize the community in order to prevent child trafficking and the policy makers formulating policy including the important of community based child traffiking prevention at grass root level