Michigan – The American Center for Justice (ACJ) announced the release of its new human rights report titled “Escape toward Death,” which provides an in-depth documentation of the realities of irregular migration along the Eastern Route and exposes the transformation of this corridor into an environment rife with grave human rights violations. These abuses are perpetrated by human trafficking networks and armed actors amid a near-total absence of legal protection and effective regional and international coordination.
The report highlights that the Eastern Route has become an organized theater for sophisticated smuggling and trafficking networks generating millions of dollars annually by exploiting the extreme vulnerability of migrants, primarily from the Horn of Africa, against a backdrop of evident failure by transit-state authorities to combat these networks and ensure the protection of victims.
According to the report, Yemen has witnessed escalating human flows, with 77,000 migrants recorded in 2022, 97,000 in 2023, and 81,342 in 2024. More than 37,000 migrants entered the country during the first four months of 2025 alone, in a country devastated by prolonged armed conflict and lacking the capacity to independently provide the necessary legal protection and humanitarian assistance.
The report documents 661 violations committed during the period 2023–2025, including deprivation of humanitarian assistance, ill-treatment, abduction, arbitrary detention, physical assault, exploitation, torture, rape, forced recruitment, deaths due to starvation, and extrajudicial killings. The report attributes responsibility for these violations as follows: human smuggling and trafficking networks account for 45%, Ansar Allah (the Houthis) for 35%, and other actors, including local forces and conflict-related factors, for the remainder.
The report warns of the catastrophic consequences of declining international humanitarian assistance, which has further deteriorated migrants’ living conditions and driven some women and girls into situations of forced sexual exploitation in exchange for food and shelter. It further notes that Ethiopian nationals constitute 89% of migrants transiting through Yemen, compared to 11% Somali nationals, and records 585 drowning-related deaths in 2024 alone during maritime crossings.
The report concludes with a series of urgent recommendations, foremost among them: calling on the international community to take decisive action against human trafficking networks; activating safe and legal pathways to protect migrants in accordance with international law; urging Ansar Allah (the Houthis) to cease the recruitment of migrants and their detention in facilities that fail to meet international standards; and calling on governments of Horn of Africa countries, particularly Ethiopia and Somalia, to address the root causes of migration, coordinate the repatriation of detained nationals, and provide comprehensive support to survivors.
The American Center for Justice (ACJ) affirms that international silence in the face of these violations serves only to perpetuate the loss of life along a route that systematically denies migrants their inherent human dignity and rights. The Center reiterates its commitment to continued documentation, legal advocacy, and accountability efforts to protect migrants and ensure justice for victims.
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