IOM Forum Theatre Tours in Rural Villages in Ethiopia

GENEVA, Switzerland, January 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM's popular Forum Theatre play 'Mutach' or 'The Last One', has started a tour of rural villages with high levels of irregular migration in the Amhara, Tigray and Oromia regions of Ethiopia.

As the number of Ethiopian irregular migrants returning from Saudi Arabia passes 154,000, the show aims to help potential migrants to understand the risks of irregular migration.

Over 1,500 people watched the show, which includes musical entertainment, in Jima district last week. After the show, regional administrators highlighted the negative impact of irregular migration.

Jima's head of Labour and Social Affairs Medina Hussein said that the hardships and challenges irregular migrants face can include mugging, physical abuse, rape, organ removal, and sometimes loss of life. His comments reinforced efforts by local authorities to encourage returnees to share testimonies of their experiences with their communities.

Mutach will be staged in schools, village markets, public gathering points and in the streets. IOM aims to attract audiences of over 60,000 in Amhara, Oromia and Tigray through January 28th 2014.

The show is part of the European Union-funded project: “Supporting governmental and non-governmental partners to protect migrants' human rights along the East African Route”.