Exploitative working conditions for child domestic workers in Ethiopia

This brief, published by the Freedom Fund, highlights the main findings from a large-scale study on the prevalence of child domestic workers in Addis Ababa

Reducing the prevalence of child domestic servitude in Addis Ababa: Stakeholder and expert scoping study

Domestic work is one of the most common forms of paid work among girls in Ethiopia, especially among the sizable number of girls who migrate from rural to urban areas. Child domestic work is not necessarily exploitative or harmful. Child domestic servitude, however, is characterized by exploitative and harmful working conditions, with children experiencing subjugation and intimidation. It’s typically characterized by excessively low or no salary, few or no days off, limited or restricted freedom of movement, and denial of a minimum level of privacy, safe living conditions, and health care. Through the Reducing the Prevalence of Child Domestic Servitude in Addis Ababa initiative, the Population Council and Freedom Fund undertook a scoping study to contribute to the design of a prevalence study of child domestic workers in Ethiopia’s capital. This report summarizes the qualitative findings from in-depth interviews with stakeholders and experts in the field of child domestic work in Ethiopia. Click here for more informatio

The West against the rest? Democracy versus autocracy promotion in Venezuela

Venezuela provides a strong test case for the weakening of democracy and the strengthening of autocracy promotion. External actors are a key part of the domestic political game: the European Union and the United States (EUUS) promote ‘democracy by coercion’ and recognised Juan Guaidó as president, whereas China, Cuba and Russia (CCR) bolster the regime of Nicolás Maduro. A comparative foreign policy analysis argues that, firstly, EUUS sanctions have resulted in strengthening CCR's autocratic leverage and linkage; and secondly, the division ‘between the West and the Rest’ has posed an additional obstacle for a transition to democracy and national reconstructio