ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi courts recorded 220 cases related to human trafficking crimes in September, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) announced on Tuesday, up from 183 cases in August - marking a 20 percent increase - as authorities intensify efforts to combat human trafficking networks.
"The presidencies of the courts of appeal recorded 220 cases related to human trafficking crimes," the council stated, adding that the Baghdad Karkh Court of Appeal ranked first with 82 cases, followed by Basra with 38, and Baghdad Rusafa with 27. The same council recorded 167 cases in July and 209 cases in June.
The judicial statistics come amid increased efforts by Iraqi authorities to crack down on domestic and transnational child trafficking networks that increasingly operate through digital platforms.
The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced on Thursday that its forces dismantled two human trafficking networks and prevented the sale of two newborn babies in separate operations in Baghdad and Dhi Qar provinces.
Security forces arrested four suspects in Dhi Qar "caught in the act" of selling a one-day-old infant; similarly, in Baghdad, five suspects—including licensed midwives—were "caught in the act" while attempting to sell a newborn.
In late June, the Iraqi interior ministry announced the documentation of 1,344 human trafficking cases in 2026 alone, as well as having uncovered numerous smuggling networks operating across the country. Security forces rescued 94 trafficking victims, dismantled 48 trafficking networks, and arrested 1,012 suspects as part of the nationwide crackdown.
Despite the security operations, the independent Baghdad-based Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights (IOHR) warned in mid-June that shortcomings in victim identification hamper progress, noting that while 5,107 people were detained on trafficking charges in 2025, only 385 victims were officially identified, a disparity the monitor called "a structural failure" in victim protection.
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