Private Security Companies in Ethiopia: An Insight from a Rights Perspective

In Ethiopia, the private security services sector has grown considerably over the previous three decades. Although the sector has a positive role in the protection of persons, property and institutions, there are concerns, inter alia, regarding the violation of rights of employees. This article examines the privatization of security services in Ethiopia from a rights perspective. Specifically, it deals with the extent of privatization and its implication on rights of its employees, the obligation of state and private operators to ensure the rights commonly violated, the drivers for the violations, and the measures that need to be taken to rectify the situation. A combination of doctrinal and non-doctrinal approaches was employed to conduct this study. The study is based on both primary and secondary data through in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, observation, and document reviews. The study indicates that the private security service sector is one of the grey areas of rights abuses including labor exploitation, poor working conditions, and workplace discrimination. These abuses emanate from the practice of employment agencies and the existing regulatory frameworks.  I argue that the adoption of a comprehensive private security industry legislation and the establishment of a framework for private security services providers’ regulation and oversight will assist to address the rights violations that have been observed in the sector.