KRG not meeting minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking: US

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A new report from the US State Department has said the Kurdistan Region is not fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.

The 2021 Trafficking in Person Report said that the Region “did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas,” highlighting that “deficiencies in identification and referral procedures, coupled with authorities’ lack of understanding of trafficking, continues to prevent many victims from receiving appropriate protection services.”

Iraq is both a source and destination country for trafficking, exacerbated by insecurity and conflict. Victims in the Kurdistan Region include migrant workers, internally displaced people and refugees, women victims of the Islamic State (ISIS), and children, the Erbil-based NGO SEED Foundation found in a 2019 study.

The Kurdistan Region has taken steps to combat human trafficking, criminalizing it in 2018 and establishing anti-trafficking police units in all four provinces. However, many government actors still lack specialized training to identify and investigate potential cases, according to the US report.

The US report issued a list of recommendations, including for authorities to identify all trafficking victims and refer them for care, make significant efforts to investigate trafficking, and ensure victims receive safe shelter.  

Updated at 12:16 pm, August 25