Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraqi authorities dismantled over 90 sex trafficking networks in the first ten months of 2025, the Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, Ministry spokesperson Colonel Abbas al-Bahadli confirmed that the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency shut down 96 sexual exploitation rings between January 1 and October 15, while also dismantling 21 migrant smuggling groups, 16 child trafficking networks, 16 organized begging operations, and 14 other human trafficking cells.

He added that 153 individuals were arrested for crimes related to witchcraft and sorcery during the same period.

Based on the latest data published last April, the number of human trafficking victims in Iraq has reached 2,300 over the past three years, with authorities dismantling over 1,800 criminal networks and individuals involved in trafficking and forced begging.