Exploitation of foreign workers in KRI: A form of human trafficking, says official

Shafaq News/ The exploitation of foreign workers arriving in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) by certain companies, wealthy individuals, and affluent families is “a form of human trafficking,” Hemen Mirani, the Director-General of the Ministry of Interior's office in the Region, said on Thursday.

The Kurdish government grants over 100,000 entry visas to foreign workers each year.

Speaking at a seminar held in Duhok, Mirani said, "There are cross-border crimes, especially human trafficking, with many individuals being smuggled from the KRI to other countries under the guise of improving their conditions."

“Another form of human trafficking is the exploitation of foreign workers brought to Kurdistan, who are forced to work long hours, denied basic living conditions and medical care, and stripped of their mobile phones and internet access,” he added.

Mirani stressed that this form of trafficking, which denies foreign workers their rights, withholds their salaries, and prevents contact with their families, is “foreign to Kurdish customs and traditions,” explaining that the Directorate for Combating Human Trafficking was established to address and reduce “the degradation of individuals.”