Our Lighthouse teams play a vital role in the recovery journey of child trafficking survivors. A huge part of this involves tracing a child’s relatives so they can be reintegrated back into family-based care wherever possible. In this blog, one of our social workers in Addis Ababa, Matiyas Girma, explains the process involved in finding a child’s family and the measures taken to ensure their return home is as smooth – and as safe – as possible.
Yakob safely reunited with his mother
Yakob’s story
Yakob Yoseph (name changed to protect child’s identity), is a 14-year-old boy from the Wolaita Zone, in Southern Ethiopia. He was a Grade 5 student when he was trafficked from his family’s small village for the purpose of child labour.
Yakob was separated from his parents for a whole year and was forced to work collecting plastic bottles, which he sold to survive. He earned about 300 ETB per week (the equivalent of £1.43 or $1.89) under difficult conditions.
Yakob later joined Canaan Lighthouse – one of our short-term aftercare centres – where our team met his immediate needs and worked to prevent re-trafficking. Yakob received psychosocial support, including counselling and life skills training, to help him understand the risks of trafficking and make safechoices. These services helped him to regain stability and hope for the future.
After completing the support programme, Yakob was successfully reintegrated with his family. The reunion was deeply emotional, with his family expressing great joy, crying with relief, and thanking God for his safe return.
So, how do we find a child’s relatives once they are in our care?
Whilst a child is receiving support at the Lighthouse, we also focus on tracing their family and preparing both the child and their family for reintegration. This happens through counselling sessions and managing expectations.
We usually ask the child about their family in the first instance, but this must be done carefully, sensitively, and in the child’s best interests. During family tracing, we use the information provided by the child to contact the local authorities, such as the Government’s Women and Children’s Affairs (WCA) department. Then, we confirm the identity and relationship of the traced family members. After confirming this, we ensure that the family is willing and able to care for the child and that reunification is in the child’s best interests.
Tracing continues until the family is found. It usually takes between one and two weeks, depending on the information the child has shared with us.
How did you find Yakob’s family and safely reintegrate him?
In Yakob’s case it took about one week to find his family.
We first built trust and gathered family information through interviews. He provided details that helped us trace his family, which we verified with local contacts and community leaders. After establishing initial contact, we assessed the family situation to identify any risks and determine if reintegration was in Yakob’s best interests. Once we confirmed that the home was a safe and supportive environment, we prepared Yakob and his family through counselling about expectations and responsibilities.
Before his discharge, we conducted a risk assessment and created a safety plan, connecting him with community support and follow-up services to further reduce the risk of re-trafficking.
What happens during a reintegration?
The reintegration involved arranging transportation to Yakob’s family home, where we formally handed him over to his caregivers. The distance from Canaan Lighthouse to Yakob’s family’s village is about 400km, and it took roughly seven hours to make the journey.
Yakob was reintegrated with both of his parents, his mother and father, and his siblings: three brothers and two sisters.
Following reintegration, we conduct phone calls to ensure Yakob’s adjustment and continued support from the family. We have continued contact for the next two years.
Of children who are reintegrated by Hope for Justice, 96% are still safe with their family two years on.
