Iraq’s Kurdistan turning into center for human trafficking: MP

ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’, presstv.ir – Human trafficking in the Kurdistan Region is now more apparent than ever. Payman Izadin from the region’s parliamentary human rights committee told local media that the region has become a centre for human trafficking.

Victims are forced into work, begging and sexual intercourse. A colleague on the human rights committee explained that victims are usually brought from central and southern Iraq. Victims are women and children and range from under 18s to women in their forties. Officials say that the children found begging at traffic lights in the region are rotated and frequently moved to other areas of the region.

Women brought for begging are paid about $8.50 per day, while children receive about $4.00. Most female victims say they came to the region for house cleaning but this is false. A local activist explained how the system works. Activists say human trafficking increased in the region after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003 and as a result of ensuing war.