SULAIMANI (ESTA) — the Iraqi National Security service on Sunday arrested a child trafficking band in a province in the south of the country, according to a statement.
Relying on concrete intelligence information, a child trafficking band, comprising three suspects, has been arrested by the security service in Babil province, it said in a statement.
The suspects were arrested in the midst of trafficking a teenage lady, dealing with her for 35 million Iraqi Diners, it added in the statement.
The suspects were ambushed, while the band was also led by a woman. They also admitted to their crime as well, according to the statement.
Due to economic instability and militia activity, human trafficking has become an increasingly urgent issue in post-2003 Iraq, according to analysis.
The Iraqi government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” said the U.S. State Department 2022 report on human trafficking.
