The New Face of Abduction and the Youth Standing Against It
Everyone thinks they know what abduction looks like: a girl is taken by force, maybe while walking to school or fetching water from a nearby stream. She’s alone, vulnerable, and in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s violent and clearly against her will. But in some cases, it goes beyond that in a more calculated and deceptive way.
In Kele, a small town in Ethiopia’s Southern Region, the reality has become much more complex and far more dangerous.
“Abduction doesn’t always come with force anymore,” says Bethel, a 17-year-old Child Parliament leader in the area. “You give a girl what she wants. You make her feel loved, seen, and protected. And when she starts to trust you, when she feels safe, that’s when unimaginable things happen to her.”
She adds, “It’s a drama. An organised theatre. Everything is planned.”
For Bethel and many girls in her community, this is the new face of abduction. Manipulation replaces violence. Grooming replaces force. And the results are equally, if not more, devastating. Girls who fall victim to this form of abuse often drop out of school, face unwanted pregnancies, and are seen as having lost their “value” in the traditional ‘marriage market’, leading to stigma, isolation, and loss of community respect.
The growing insecurity in the region has only deepened the crisis, leaving children, especially girls, increasingly vulnerable. Violations such as early marriage, gender-based violence, and child exploitation have become frighteningly common.
“Because of the security issues, many families have been displaced. More children are now forced to survive on the streets than ever before,” Bethel says. “And child traffickers take advantage of that. They know how easy it is to target children who have no one looking out for them.”
The dangers Bethel speaks of are not isolated incidents, they’re part of a troubling trend. According to data from the Kele Town Administration Women and Social Affairs Office, in 2025 alone, 24 girls were abducted, 22 were sexually assaulted, and 119 children, most of them boys, were exposed to life on the streets.
To counter these challenges, Bethel and her fellow child parliamentarians are spearheading grassroots advocacy efforts, becoming key change agents in raising awareness and mobilising the community to protect children.
“The biggest issue is that most children don’t know their rights or know how to protect themselves,” Bethel explains. “That’s where we start.”
Their efforts include hosting discussions at local markets, broadcasting messages on community radio, and participating in public forums where children, parents, and community leaders come together to talk openly about child protection. They educate families about the signs of exploitation, encourage children to speak up, and advocate for stronger local responses.
Their movement is not without support. World Vision has played a key role in helping establish the child parliament in Kele, providing capacity-building training, financial support, and ongoing mentorship to strengthen their impact. Through this support, young leaders like Bethel are better equipped to advocate for their peers and push for lasting change.
“We are starting to see some changes, such as more abuse cases being reported and better awareness of child rights and protection, but some people still don’t take us seriously because we’re young,” Bethel says. “But we keep showing up. We keep speaking. Because this is our future, and we won’t stop until we see real, visible change.”
By Tigist Taye, Communication Coordinator (CPP), World Vision Ethiopia