Human Trafficking: Iraq - A Case Study

Ali Allawi, University of New Hampshire School of Law

Abstract

The accompanying Article explores the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in postwar Iraq. It attempts, in three steps to firstly identify the issue of human trafficking and how it pertains to Iraq, secondly to examine Iraq’s international legal obligations to address the human rights violations and human trafficking issues, and lastly, recommend implementable solutions that the Iraqi government can take to meet its international obligations and remedy the problem at hand. The Article sheds new light on the growing humanitarian crisis in post war Iraq and brings awareness of the monumental challenges that face both the government and the victims of the crimes. Its inquires look at trafficking not as an isolated phenomenon, but as part of a growing disregard to human rights entrenched in the country’s social structure that is exacerbated by religious misinterpretations and tribal influences. In brief, the Article contributes a framework for resolving a critical challenge of human trafficking faced by the Iraqi government that is both progressive and pragmatic in its implementation in remedying this humanitarian crisis.