Recent research on child migration has largely departed from the early trafficking narrative and has tended to highlight young people’s agency and the ways in which children’s migration can play a key role in their ‘future-seeking’.

This journal article presents research on Ethiopian girls voluntarily migrating to the Middle East, which found that the financial, physical, and psychological costs of such migration can far outweigh the benefits. The research was conducted with girls and their families in the West Gojjam and North Wollo Zones of the Amhara National Regional State using a multi-layered, qualitative approach.