Victims exploited in Iraq

Between 2012 and 2022, the IOM registered 440 victims of trafficking exploited in Iraq.^[1] Around 51 per cent of them were identified between 2018 and 2020.

Most of these victims (91%) are female, and only nine per cent are male.^[2] Similarly, most victims are adults (98%), with the remainder being children.

The identified victims in Iraq are mainly aged between 24 and 38 years old (73%). Overall, male victims are more prevalent than females in younger age groups, although both females and males tend to be older than 30 years (53% and 44%, respectively).

The main countries from which identified victims in Iraq originate are Kenya (21%), the Philippines (18%), Ghana (13%), and Indonesia (10%). Countries of origin are located mainly in Africa (54%) and Asia (44%), and most identified victims exploited in Iraq originate in another subregion (98%).^[3]

Among identified victims of trafficking in Iraq, the most common form of exploitation is forced labour (96%). Meanwhile, nine per cent of the victims are sexually exploited, and another two per cent face other types of exploitation like forced marriage, forced military, organ removal, and slavery and related practices.^[4] These victims are most frequently trafficked for one to two years (37%).

The most common sector of labour exploitation is domestic work (84%), followed by construction (8%) and manufacturing (3%). The most common sector of sexual exploitation is prostitution.

Withholding documents, restrictions on finance, movements, medical care and necessities; and excessive working hours are the main means of control (80%, 79% and 75%, respectively).^[4] These victims are more commonly recruited by ‘others’^[5] (95%), followed by friends and family (3% and 2%, respectively).

^[1] This country profile is based on the data collected by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the process of providing assistance and protection services to victims of trafficking.

^[2] The IOM acknowledge diverse gender identities and expressions among trafficking victims. However, sex assigned at birth is used for this data analysis unless otherwise indicated. This is to ensure consistency with initial data collection forms, which lacked fields for diverse identities. Also, the disclosure of smaller subsets of victims with diverse gender identities increases data protection risks due to the potential identification of individual cases.

^[3] Interregional trafficking involves victims trafficked outside their region of origin, while intraregional trafficking occurs within their region of origin. For the list of regions and subregions, refer to the Global Synthetic Dataset Dictionary.

^[4] It is important to note that trafficked persons can be subjected to multiple types of exploitation and means of control, so percentages may not add up to 100.

^[5] Indicates a notable relationship with the recruiter that does not fit other categories like family or friends. This may include brokers, contractors, employers, or smugglers. See the Global Synthetic Dataset Codebook for a detailed explanation.