Dr. Minaye, currently serving as an Associate Professor in Social Psychology and Chair of the Forced Displacement and Migration Studies Center at Addis Ababa University’s College of Education and Behavioral Studies, brings over two decades of teaching experience in Psychology, Social Work, Research Methods, and Education.
Research Focus
Dr. Minaye’s research primarily revolves around migration studies, notably emphasizing trafficking, migration dynamics, and youth migration. His dissertation delved into the experiences of Ethiopian Trafficking Returnee Women from the Gulf States. He boasts 24 peer-reviewed journal articles, including one book chapter, focused on various aspects such as the experiences of trafficking returnees, conceptualization of trafficking, migrants’ attitudes, migrants’ mental health, behavioral outcomes of children left behind due to migration, predictors of cross-border migration, and intervention strategies to mitigate unsafe youth migration.
Professional Contributions
Dr. Minaye has undertaken over 20 consultancy studies for diverse organizations. Notably, he conducted an assessment of Ethiopia’s trafficking and smuggling situation for IGAD. Collaborating with colleagues, he spearheaded the development of a five-year national action plan to combat trafficking, backed by IOM. Furthermore, he formulated a standard operating protocol for emergency migrant response centers under IOM’s auspices. Dr. Minaye’s involvement extends to scoping research on migration studies in Ethiopia and participating in impact evaluations of awareness and prevention programs in Ethiopia, funded by ILO.
Moreover, Dr. Minaye’s research extends to exploring the role of TVET and employment in youth migration dynamics, undertaken for the Research Evidence Facility based in Kenya in collaboration with the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Additionally, he has conducted research on youth employment and migration for Save the Children International and on child labor for Woord en Daad, a Dutch-based organization.
Dr. Minaye has authored two training manuals for potential migrants and returnees, sponsored by the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat and Addis Ababa University. He also developed a Standard Operational Manual for the Good Samaritan Association (GSA) and compiled comprehensive curriculum materials for training shelter staff at GSA, supported by the Strategic Initiative in the Horn of Africa (SIHA-Uganda).
Furthermore, Dr. Minaye led as principal investigator in two thematic research projects at Addis Ababa University. The first project explored managing the socio-cultural, health, legal, and economic dimensions of migration from an interdisciplinary perspective, while the second delved into the nexus among youth unsafe migration, quality of education, and gender equity.
Dr. Minaye has presented extensively on trafficking and migration at various international conferences across the USA, South Korea, South Africa, Poland, and Tanzania. He has facilitated numerous trainings and presentations for potential migrants, returnees, community members, policymakers, religious leaders, and stakeholders. These sessions were organized by esteemed institutions including the Consortium of Christian Relief Development Association (CCRDA), ILO, Geneva Global, Forum for Sustainable Child Empowerment, GSA, SIHA, Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat, Ethiopian Red Cross Society OPRIFS, AAU, among others.
Education
- BED in Pedagogical Science, minor in English from the (then) Bahir Dar Teachers College, the present-day Bahir Dar University, 1997
- MA in Educational Psychology (Measurement and Evaluation) from Addis Ababa University, 2003
- PhD in Social Work and Social Development from Addis Ababa University, 2013
Awards and Grants
- 2009 young scholars grant award of OSSREA
- 2016 Civil Society Scholarship Award of the Open Society Foundation
Learn more about the work led by Abebaw Minaye