An Ethiopian man describes how he was tortured by human traffickers as he went in search of his nephew on a now infamous migration route from the Horn of Africa through Yemen to Saudi Arabia.

The promise seemed simple: a job, a fresh start, a way out. Instead, Maria* stepped off a boat onto a picture-perfect Trinidadian beach with hope in her heart and into a nightmare that would shadow her for years. On theWorld Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on 30 July, follow the journey of a woman who escaped.

The number of victims of human trafficking detected globally is rising again after falling off during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its latest report on the issue, covering 156 countries.

When Jamal, an Ethiopian man in his early thirties, set out along what has become known as the eastern route, he was not chasing work, wealth, or status.

He was looking for his sixteen-year-old nephew, who had vanished while attempting to reach Saudi Arabia through one of the worlds most dangerous migration corridors.

Each year, tens of thousands of Ethiopians travel this route, crossing arid stretches of Ethiopia and Djibouti, the Gulf of Aden, and war-torn Yemen.

Many flee conflict, displacement, poverty, or climate shocks.

Others are pulled by false promises spread by traffickers who profit from desperation. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the eastern route has become increasingly violent, marked by kidnappings, extortion, and systematic abuse.

IOM/Mylale NeggaJamal rests in a shelter for migrants in Djibouti.

Jamals nephew was one of those taken. Kidnapped in Yemen, the boys captors demanded a ransom. The family paid, but the boy was never released.

So Jamal followed went looking for him.

I had no choice, he says. My brother had no other children. I had to go after him.

In search of the traffickers

In Yemen, Jamal deliberately placed himself in the path of traffickers, hoping they would take him to the same location where his nephew was being held.

The plan worked. He was reunited with the boy, though he pretended not to recognize him to avoid suspicion. As Jamal began planning their escape, he helped other captives flee. Before he could secure his own escape, he was caught.

The punishment was immediate and brutal.

Jamal was forced to watch as other captives were beaten, mutilated, and burned.

IOM/Mylale NeggaJamal is treated for his injuries at a shelter for migrants in Djibouti.

Then it was his turn. His captors wrapped his feet in plastic and set them alight, again and again. The burns left permanent damage, affecting how he walks, how he sleeps, and how he lives with the memory of that night.

Their escape came only because fighting broke out between rival trafficking groups. Amid the chaos, Jamal and his nephew ran.

IOM/Eva SibandaClothes thought to be discarded by migrants lie in the Djibouti desert.

After months in Yemen, surviving by washing cars to earn enough money to leave, Jamal eventually reached Djibouti. There, he was referred to an IOM Migrant Response Centre in Obock, where he received medical care for his injuries and psychosocial support to begin processing what he had endured.

For the first time since his ordeal, he says, someone asked not only where he came from, but how he was coping.

Today, Jamal is preparing to return to Ethiopia.

He has not yet told his mother what happened. Even now, his concern is for her, not himself.

She saw me leave in good health, he says. I am worried about her seeing me like this. I will have to explain it to her gently.

IOM/Mylale NeggaJamal rests in a shelter for migrants in Djibouti.IOM/Mylale NeggaJamal is treated for his injuries at a shelter for migrants in Djibouti.IOM/Eva SibandaClothes thought to be discarded by migrants lie in the Djibouti desert.