“Girls and Boys Have Become the Toys of Everyone”: Interrogating the Drivers and Experiences of Adolescent Migration in Ethiopia.

Abstract

The recently adopted Global Compact for Migration (GCM) has a strong focus on the rights of migrants. While the GCM is non-legally binding and its adoption has been heatedly contested, this is an important historical moment to reflect on the status of some of the most vulnerable migrants – adolescent girls and boys – and the efforts that will be needed to fast-track social change and ensure that they benefit from the ambitious targets of the GCM and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. This article explores these issues through a case study on Ethiopia, where migration—especially of young people—is already accelerating and is poised for explosive growth in the coming years. Drawing on qualitative data collected by the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) international research programme, this article focuses on the ways in which adolescent girls’ and boys’ multi-dimensional capabilities drive and are shaped by migration. Our findings highlight that in many cases Ethiopian adolescents are “choosing” to migrate because they perceive no other viable options. Simultaneously pushed and pulled into undertaking risky endeavours with limited information, they often find themselves vulnerable to a range of risks with very little support. To help mitigate those risks, and help adolescents use migration to improve, rather than restrict, their access to their human rights, our conclusions discuss a number of key policy and programming entry points.