Shafaq News/ Iraq holds the fourth-highest rate of child labor in the Arab world, following Yemen, Sudan, and Egypt, the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq revealed on Wednesday.

Fadel al-Gharawi, head of the Center, reported that 4.9% of Iraqi children are engaged in labor, with high concentrations in the industrial, agricultural, and service sectors. According to al-Gharawi, “economic hardship, driven by declining family incomes, high unemployment, and poverty rates, has exacerbated child labor. The country’s history of conflicts, forced displacement, domestic violence, and limited child protection legislation further contribute to this trend.”

Al-Gharawi noted that child begging, a prevalent and exploitative form of child labor, has surged across Iraq’s provinces in recent years. “Around 57% of child beggars are boys, and 33% are girls, many of whom are accompanied by relatives or criminal gangs as they beg,” he stated, warning that many of these children face kidnapping, exploitation, or trafficking, and that organized crime networks orchestrate begging operations involving foreign and Arab children.

“These criminal operations are now generating substantial profits for organized crime groups, posing significant social, economic, and cultural risks to Iraqi society and damaging the country’s image,” al-Gharawi said.

Al-Gharawi urged the Iraqi government to dismantle organized crime networks involved in child exploitation and to classify these groups under anti-terrorism laws.

“Child beggars should be placed in shelters or youth centers, where they could receive psychological and rehabilitative support, and advocated for comprehensive reforms, including stricter penalties to deter child exploitation and measures to create genuine employment opportunities,” he said.