Dr Vassilia Orfanou, Executive Board Member
Writes for the Headline Diplomat, LUDCI.eu
Iraq’s Hidden Crisis: The Shadow of Modern Slavery
In Iraq, the shadows of modern slavery loom large, affecting an estimated 221,000 individuals. Human trafficking, or Trafficking in Persons (TiP), exploits people for the benefit of others, often trapping them in cycles of abuse and helplessness. “From a judiciary perspective, there are ambiguities at the practical level in the fight against trafficking in persons. We need to have more discussions and offer concrete results in providing protection to victims, in cooperation with international organizations,” Judge Ala’a Hussein, from the Baghdad Rusafa Investigation Court, said at the time.
Iraq’s unique position as both a source and destination for trafficking complicates the problem further, especially in its post-conflict context, which leaves women, children, minorities, and displaced persons particularly vulnerable.
A Global Issue with Regional Specificity
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) underscores the global scope of this crisis: over half of trafficking victims worldwide are adult women, with a significant proportion being girls. However, in regions like the Middle East and North Africa, adult men are disproportionately affected. In Iraq, the conflict with ISIL exacerbated trafficking rates, creating ripple effects in neighbouring countries like Syria.
Stories from the Ground
Imagine Ahmed, a young man from a rural Iraqi village. Lured by promises of a construction job in the city, he finds himself trapped in grueling labor conditions without pay, his documents confiscated by his employers. Or consider Amina, a Yazidi woman who, fleeing ISIL persecution, is deceived by traffickers into a cycle of forced labor under the guise of safe passage. Their stories are not unique; they represent thousands whose lives have been torn apart by traffickers exploiting desperation and vulnerability.
Legal Efforts: Progress and Gaps
Iraq has taken steps to combat human trafficking, including enacting Law No. 28 of 2012, modeled on the UN Trafficking Palermo Protocol. This law criminalizes trafficking and offers a framework for victim protection. Additionally, the 2015 Labor Law and Kurdistan Region’s Law No. 6 of 2018 further reinforce anti-trafficking measures. However, gaps remain. Iraq has yet to ratify key International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that protect migrant workers, leaving many without robust legal safeguards. “IOM lauds the Government of Iraq for paying more attention to address trafficking in persons as a form of transnational organized crime. IOM, with its strong network across Iraq, continues to support the Government of Iraq and society to combat trafficking in persons,” said IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Gerard Waite. “These methods include developing and promoting a well-planned migration strategy, providing technical assistance, and capacity development that will lead to prevention, protection of victims, and prosecution of offenders.”
The Role of Migration and Recruitment Practices
Migrant workers in Iraq are particularly at risk, often enticed by promises of employment abroad. A lack of oversight in recruitment practices enables exploitation, such as unpaid labor, deceptive contracts, or coercion. Regulatory measures to oversee recruitment agencies and promote ethical practices are critical to mitigating these risks.
Reasons to Act: Hope dies last
Consider a farmer whose field is plagued by invasive weeds. Ignoring the problem allows the weeds to spread, choking out crops and devastating the harvest. But proactive care—removing weeds and fortifying the soil—can restore the field’s health. Similarly, addressing human trafficking requires vigilance and action. Without intervention, the crime festers, devastating lives and communities.
How Technology Can Help
Technological solutions offer powerful tools to combat trafficking. “To protect people, we need to protect digital spaces from criminal abuse,” says Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “We can assist law enforcement authorities to use, with technical support and appropriate safeguards, artificial intelligence, data mining and other tools to detect and investigate trafficking networks.”
Digital identity verification systems can protect vulnerable individuals, while AI-powered monitoring can uncover exploitative labor practices. Machine learning can flag suspicious travel bookings or financial transactions linked to trafficking networks. For example, computer vision systems could analyze vendor imagery to detect signs of forced labor, offering a proactive approach to detection.
A Call to Collaborate
Trafficking is a global issue that knows no borders—it transcends nations, cultures, and economies. collective action. To effectively combat this horrific crime, it is imperative that we come together as a unified force. Governments, businesses, NGOs, advocacy groups, and even the tech industry must work hand in hand to create stronger regulatory frameworks, raise awareness, and deploy innovative technological solutions.
Partnerships Between Law Enforcement and Private Sector
One example of this collaboration is the partnership between law enforcement and private tech companies to leverage big data and artificial intelligence. Through data analytics, organizations can map complex human trafficking networks, identify patterns, and predict trafficking routes, making law enforcement interventions more effective and timelier. These collaborations allow real-time tracking of suspicious activities across borders and can provide critical intelligence to disrupt trafficking operations before they escalate.
For instance, companies specializing in digital forensics and cybersecurity can assist in investigating online platforms used by traffickers to recruit or exploit victims. The private sector’s technical expertise in AI, blockchain, and encryption can be used to secure communications, trace financial transactions, and identify human trafficking victims in digital spaces.
Global Coalitions and Cross-Border Cooperation
On an international scale, governments and international organizations like the UN, INTERPOL, and EU agencies must strengthen cross-border cooperation. By sharing intelligence, harmonizing policies, and coordinating joint operations, countries can more effectively respond to human trafficking. These coalitions can also ensure that victims of trafficking receive protection and legal support across borders, addressing the gaps that often leave victims stranded in foreign countries without proper resources.
For example, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has partnered with local governments in various countries to provide safe housing, healthcare, and legal assistance to victims of trafficking while also working with international law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.
Corporate Responsibility and Ethical Business Practices
Businesses, particularly those in industries prone to exploitation such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, and manufacturing, can also play a critical role. Corporations must adopt robust supply chain transparency measures to ensure that their operations do not rely on trafficked labor. By working with NGOs and advocacy groups, companies can ensure ethical labor practices, provide training to workers on recognizing signs of trafficking, and report potential incidents to authorities.
A notable example is the collaboration between apparel brands and human rights organizations to eliminate forced labor from supply chains. Through tools like the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) and Fair Trade certification, these companies can take proactive steps to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and protection for all workers.
Tech and Digital Innovation
Technological innovation also plays a pivotal role in the fight against trafficking. NGOs and tech companies are coming together to develop apps and platforms that help identify potential trafficking victims. For example, Thorn, a nonprofit organization that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse and trafficking, has developed software that helps identify children at risk through online activity. This technology can be used by law enforcement to track and rescue victims.
Additionally, the use of blockchain technology is being explored to create secure, verifiable identities for individuals in at-risk communities. This could prevent traffickers from manipulating documents and exploiting vulnerable populations by providing verifiable proof of identity and background.
Public Awareness and Education Campaigns
Raising awareness is a key part of any anti-trafficking initiative, and it requires the collective efforts of governments, businesses, and advocacy organizations. A successful example is the collaboration between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and major airlines to raise awareness about human trafficking through in-flight announcements, pamphlets, and training flight attendants to recognize the signs of trafficking. “The U.S. Department of Transportation is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and American Airlines to train aviation personnel on how to recognize indicators of and report human trafficking suspicions.” said Julie Abraham, Director of the Office of International Transportation and Trade, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Similarly, campaigns like #EndItMovement have united a diverse group of advocacy organizations, celebrities, and activists to raise awareness about modern-day slavery. By harnessing social media, these campaigns reach millions of people, educating them on how to recognize trafficking and how they can help stop it.
Conclusion: Turning Insights into Action
The facts and stories emerging from Iraq demand not just awareness but action. By strengthening laws, fostering ethical recruitment, and harnessing technology, we can disrupt the networks that enable trafficking. But beyond policies and technology, we must cultivate empathy and urgency. Human trafficking isn’t just a statistic; it’s a human tragedy that diminishes us all.
As members of a global community, our collective responsibility to address human trafficking is more urgent than ever. This crisis transcends borders, industries, and demographics, making it a universal call to action. The stories of Ahmed and Amina—while fictional representations of this article—reflect the harsh reality faced by countless individuals trapped in modern slavery. Their plight mirrors the silent suffering of victims who often remain voiceless and invisible to the world. These narratives serve as a reminder of the human cost of inaction; the cost of our silence.
The time to act is now, and the question is not just who will step up, but why we cannot afford to wait. If the West, with its wealth of resources, technology, and influence, does not lead the charge, then who will? And if we delay, how many more lives will be shattered before we take decisive steps to disrupt these cycles of exploitation?
We must turn Iraq’s borders and other vulnerable regions from being gateways for traffickers into sanctuaries of safety and empowerment. This transformation demands collaboration across governments, private sectors, NGOs, and communities. It requires leveraging technology to detect trafficking networks, strengthening laws to protect the vulnerable, and fostering public awareness to root out this crime at every level.
The call to action is clear: we must unite, innovate, and act with compassion. By doing so, we can sow the seeds of hope, dignity, and freedom, ensuring that no one else suffers in silence. Let us make a collective pledge to not only confront trafficking but to eradicate it, creating a world where stories like Ahmed’s and Amina’s belong only in the pages of history or yet again, only in the pages of fiction.
Featured Photo by Alena Darmel: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-couple-s-hands-breaking-apart-6643010/
