TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002886

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2019
TAGS: KTIP KWMN KLPM PHUM PREL PTER ELAB SMIG SY IZ
SUBJECT: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN IRAQ

REF: BAGHDAD 2403

Classified By: Political Counselor Yuri Kim for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Senior GOI and judicial officials tell us
that trafficking in women and young boys for the purposes of
prostitution remains a widespread problem in Iraq, with
victims either sold to traffickers by their families or
kidnapped by criminal gangs. Iraqi trafficking victims often
find themselves forced into prostitution abroad or in a few
cases recruited by terrorists to serve as suicide bombers.
These officials also tell us that there has also been an
increase in the trafficking of human organs. The GOI has
formed an interagency committee to combat trafficking, begun
a public awareness campaign at youth centers and schools, and
drafted legislation to increase the penalties for those
engaged in trafficking. END SUMMARY.

--------------
Iraq: Both a Source and Destination Country
--------------


2. (C) On October 12, DCM for Transition Assistance and the
Embassy's Women's Issues Coordinator (DCMAT) met with the
Deputy Minister of Interior Hussein Ali Kamal and Judge
Hadeel Najim Abdullah from the Baghdad Courthouse in al-Karkh
to discuss trafficking in persons in Iraq. Judge Hadeel
began the conversation by saying that many poor Iraqi
families continue to sell their daughters to men with the
promise of marriage or place them in forced marriages because
of their inability to care for large numbers of children.
These girls are then often taken to other regions in Iraq or
to neighboring countries to become part of the underground
sex trade. Hadeel said this form of trafficking was
particularly widespread in the province of Hillah and in
rural villages where dire economic conditions and
conservative attitudes toward reporting such cases contribute
to the problem. There had been a notable increase in young
girls between the ages of 12-13 being abducted by criminal
gangs and then trafficked to night clubs within Iraq or
overseas for prostitution in Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
The few who are rescued face social stigma and difficulties
returning to their communities, Hadeel observed.


3. (C) Hadeel noted that female foreign workers who are
sometimes trafficked into Iraq with promises of legitimate
work in the Middle East, instead are brought to Baghdad to be
placed in the sex and/or labor trade. In Iraq, there are
employers that contract with traffickers for business and
residential workers, and female foreign workers are often
victims of sexual assault by their employers. These women
are afraid to report sexual abuse because their employers
retain their passports and threaten them with deportation
and/or arrest for theft or prostitution. Hadeel said these
abuses are often not pursued by the police and/or courts and
in fact, a foreign woman may be detained until her country of
origin assists her to obtain a new passport to return home.
(Note: In July and August the GOI, with the assistance of the
Embassy and MNF-I, repatriated 14 Ugandan women who had been
trafficked into Iraq for the purposes of labor exploitation
and in at least one case had been sexually assaulted.
(Reftel).)

--------------
TIP and Terrorism
--------------


4. (C) Hadeel stated that, similarly, when Iraqi women escape
their husbands or captors, they are often reported for
prostitution and arrested by the authorities. In some cases,
trafficked women become desperate and trade one form of
criminal activity for another or are recruited by terrorists.
On a recent visit to the Karada Girls Detention Facility,
Q On a recent visit to the Karada Girls Detention Facility,
DCMAT met two cousins from Diyala who were forced to marry at
the ages of 13 and 15. Both girls became part of a terrorist
group that planned to use them as female suicide bombers.
One of the girls, Rani Ibrahim, now 17, was convicted of
attempted bombing and sentenced to 7 years in prison. The
other girl, Nibras Ali A'abassm now 15, is awaiting trial on
terrorist-related charges, and remains in the detention
facility with her two young children.

--------------
Trafficking in Boys and Organs
--------------


5. (C) Deputy Minister Kamal concurred with Hadeel's
assessment of the trafficking problem in Iraq and stated that
he had recently traveled to Syria and encountered "hundreds
of cases" of Iraqi women who had been arrested for
prostitution and put into Syrian jails. Kamal said he had
asked the Government of Syria (SARG) to return the women to

BAGHDAD 00002886 002 OF 002


Iraq so that the GOI could deal with their cases, but that
the SARG had been uncooperative. Kamal suggested that Syrian
criminal elements were using the girls to spy on the local
Iraqi population. He said it was difficult for the GOI to
combat trafficking due to the porous nature of its land
borders, but that there had been a few cases in which Iraqi
intelligence had prevented young girls traveling with older
men on fake marriage documents from leaving the country.
Asked about trafficking in young boys, Kamal responded that
this too was a problem and that boys were often trafficked to
the Gulf for sex. Kamal also reported that Iraqi boys have
also become a source for organ transplants like kidneys and
that Baghdad hospitals do not question the "voluntary"
donation of such organs from the boys because often the
father of the boy is present to consent to the procedure.

--------------
GOI Response
--------------


6. (C) On October 14, Poloff met with Ministry of Human
Rights Director General Sa'ad Fatehallah, who chairs the
GOI's interagency trafficking in persons committee, to
discuss what actions the GOI had taken to combat trafficking.
Fatehallah stated that the GOI had formed the interagency
committee in Janary 2009 -- consisting of representatives
from the Ministries of Human Rights, Foreign Affairs,
Interior, and Labor and Social Affairs -- primarily to
develop anti-trafficking legislation. That legislation would
establish a permanent inter-agency committee in Baghdad and
place strong criminal penalties on those convicted of
trafficking. Fatehallah said the legislation had been
submitted to the Shura Council and was currently awaiting the
approval of a special committee within the Council. He added
that until the draft legislation is passed (something he
predicted would not happen until a new government was formed
next year) the ad hoc committee would continue to function as
the coordinating body for trafficking issues.


7. (SBU) Fatehallah stated that the Ministry of Human Rights
was currently engaged in a public awareness campaign on
trafficking and that it had held workshops at facilities
managed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports targeting
children. He said more workshops were planned in the coming
months in various provinces throughout Iraq and that an
agreement had been reached with Minister of Education to do
similar activities with Iraqi schools and universities.
Fatehallah also said the Ministry of Human Rights was trying
to prepare a database on trafficking that would provide them
with a better sense of where to target their efforts, but
stated that it was difficult to get good information on the
problem.


8. (C) COMMENT: While it has been known for some time that
trafficking was a widespread problem in Iraq due endemic
poverty, criminality, and violence, it was sobering to hear
senior GOI officials acknowledge the extent of the problem
and suggest ways to combat it. That the GOI has drafted
anti-trafficking legislation and undertaken a public
awareness effort are positive steps in combating the problem
of trafficking. The Embassy's Rule of Law office is also
making a concerted effort to encourage the Ministry of
Interior and Higher Judicial Council to address Iraq's
trafficking problem and work with them to provide training
and education. We will also continue to press for the
passage of the anti-trafficking legislation after national
elections in January. END COMMENT.
HILL