Thousands of Iraqi deminers face danger without safeguards, watchdog warns

Society Iraqi deminers danger unexploded ordnance clearance social and health protections

2026-05-30T09:03:46+00:00

Shafaq News- Baghdad

More than 5,000 Iraqis work in mine and unexploded ordnance clearance across Iraq, facing low wages and limited social and health protections despite carrying out one of the country's most dangerous humanitarian missions, the Eco Iraq Observatory cautioned on Saturday.

The workforce includes men and women serving in field, administrative, medical, and logistical roles, with most employed under temporary contracts that offer little job security.

The observatory highlighted disparities between Iraqi and foreign personnel in some demining companies. Despite facing the same risks and operating under identical field conditions, foreign employees receive salaries several times higher than their Iraqi counterparts, who perform much of the direct clearance work. According to the global database Numbeo, Iraq recorded an average monthly wage of $567 over 2025, ranking ninth among Arab countries.

The watchdog urged the Ministry of Labor and other relevant authorities to regulate working hours in the sector and ensure workers are not subjected to pressure or contract termination for demanding better conditions or labor rights.

Iraq remains among the world's most heavily contaminated countries by explosive ordnance. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that approximately 2,733 square kilometers of land remain contaminated, the legacy of successive conflicts ranging from the Iran-Iraq War and the 1991 Gulf War to post-2003 violence and military campaigns against ISIS.

Official figures record more than 30,000 victims of landmines and unexploded ordnance in Iraq since 2003, including men, women, and children.