Trafficking in human beings, especially in women and children for the purpose of labour and sexualrnexploitation has become an issue of global concern because of its rapid growth in recent years.rnEthiopia is among the countries highly affected by both domestic and international trafficking. Incountryrntrafficking in women and children from rural to urban center is widespread in Ethiopian.rnHowever, the causes and consequences of trafficking in women and children are not wellrndocumented.rnThe primary objective of this study was to identify the major socio-cultural, economic and legislativerncauses and consequences of trafficking on the victims in Addis Ababa. To this end, a total of 140rntrafficked women and children were identified through non-probability sampling teclmiques and wererninterviewed by using an interview schedule containing close ended questions. In addition, 30 keyrninformants were selected from different governmental, non governmental and private institutions andrnparticipated in the in-depth interviews. A total of four focus group discussions were conducted withrncommunity workers and victims of trafficking engaged in various activities. Efforts were also madernto assess the role of law enforcement bodies in accordance with the country's legislative framework.rnThe study involved the use of both quantitative and qualitative data, with more reliance on the latter.rnThe research identified that low level of education compounded by lack of information exposedrnwomen and children to deceptive promises and motivations of brokers, friends, and relatives thatrnwere involved in the trafficking process. In most cases, the disparity in economic opportunitiesrnbetween rural areas and major cities like Addis Ababa had contributed to the trafficking of womenrnand children by attracting them. Harmful traditional and cultural practices such as early marriage,rndiscrimination against women and gender based violence pushed women and children to leave theirrnorigins to urban areas. The study revealed that the major causes of internal trafficking in women andrnchildren were economic factors; unemployment and poverty being the major ones. The capacity tornimplement the laws by law enforcement bodies was found to be limited. This in turn has contributedrnto the prevalence of the longstanding and deep rooted problem of internal trafficking in the country.rnThe study indicated that trafficking victims experienced various forms of physical as well asrnpsychological abuses. As a result, they suffered from severe forms of emotional disturbances andrnpersonality disorders. The study disclosed that trafficking victims engaged in domestic services,rncommercial sex work and traditional weaving industry were highl y vulnerable to the worst forms ofrneconomic exploitations. The forms of exploitations include long hours of work, overburdening withrnwork, work with no leaves, low wage, and denial of payments.rnEmpowerment of women and chi ldren, strengthening poverty reduction interventions in the ruralrnareas, improving the capacity of law enforcement bodies, launching awareness raising campaigns,rnestablishing more rehabilitation and reintegration proj ects, strengthening the fight against harmfulrntraditional and cultural practices were recommended to combat the problem. It is also suggested thatrnconducting further researches in di fferent aspects of trafficking and establishing a national council arernvital for mitigating the problem.