Thread by @SimonaFoltyn

My long read on sex #trafficking in #Iraq is out as part of our @AJpeoplepower investigation.

Through exclusive access to authorities, traffickers and survivors, it sheds light on the power structures that fuel the exploitation of girls. 1/

THREAD 🧵

aje.io/oqc5yc

For >than a year, @AJEnglish investigated the sex trade in Iraq, a growing phenomenon fueled by deeply entrenched socioeconomic factors & enabled by a tangled web of corrupt officials & armed groups, a toxic mix that has become the hallmark of the US' post-2003 legacy in Iraq. 2/

Prostitution exists around the world, but how are girls lured into it in a conservative society where extramarital sex is taboo?

Turns out that traffickers exploit these norms, literally SHAMING girls into the sex trade. 3/

Watch our doc here:

Take Noor's story:

She was married off at age 15, forced to quit school and suffered abuse from her new husband. Two years into her marriage, she absconded, an act of defiance deemed unacceptable in tribal culture. The fear of honor killings pushed her into the sex trade. 4/

Throughout my interviews with survivors, a pattern emerged: they all faced abuse at home ➡️ they couldn't access outside help ➡️ they decided to run away ➡️ on the street, they were approached by a stranger who offered assistance, but turned out to be a trafficker. 5/

The Imam Kadhim shrine in #Baghdad, one of the holiest sites of Shia Islam, appears to be a recruitment ground for traffickers, who prey on distressed girls desperate for help. Three of the survivors I interviewed went to the shrine, only to be lured into the sex trade. 6/

From there, it’s an inescapable downward spiral: They are sexually assaulted to cement the idea that they are no longer honorable. Returning home becomes impossible. They are drugged and physically abused to squash any remnant of defiance and self-worth 7/

I often heard fr Iraqi officials/men that prostitutes choose the profession voluntarily.This disregards the power dynamics explained above, contributing to the criminalization of victims. Victims who report to the police often end up in prison, while their pimps walk free 8/

Take Zahraa’s story:

She ran away from home and was lured into the sex trade at the Imam Kadhim shrine. When she escaped & approached authorities, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her madame, who had contacts in the police and among armed groups, was acquitted 9/

This is where we get to the root of the problem: Pimps operate w/ the backing of people with guns & power. Govt contacts are needed to issue fake IDs, facilitate passage through checkpoints and get tipped off before the occasional police raid. Militias provide protection 10/

In Iraqi @Kurdistan, nothing happens without the explicit approval of the two ruling parties. Though the region casts itself as a beacon of stability, it’s also a major destination for sex tourism, fueled by a steady supply of young girls from southern Iraq 11/

This is Yaqoot “restaurant" inside Masaya hotel in the Lebanese village, a flagship real estate project in #Erbil. When we visited as part of an undercover investigation, underage girls danced on stage. The customers r businessmen and govt officials, sources told me 12/

Bc the trade is backed by powerful ppl, we hardly ever see arrests. Pimps who end up behind bars r often small fish.

“Of course, not just anybody opens a nightclub unless he has connections, someone who is in the government with a high rank,” said one pimp I interviewed 13/

So - what can be done to help?

This isn’t just a #WomensRights issue - this is a #governance issue. The exploitation of women is one of many manifestations of #Iraq’s broken state, which has been weakened by decades of #conflict, #corruption and foreign meddling. 14/

The solutions are well known:

Carry out judicial reform
Strengthen ROL
Root out corruption
Hire women as investigators
Train judges & police
Legalize private shelters
Eliminate humiliating procedures like virginity tests and
Stop using old laws that punish victims

15/

#Western donors might be eager to get involved. But strengthening governance is a pitfall that has attracted billions and produced many failures since 2003. Moreover, W. funding could discredit any program as imposing liberal values & destroying traditional family structures 16/

And how to push for controversial reform in this fractured pol. environment anyway? How to pass laws through a parliament controlled by parties that want to protect the patriarchy? (don't be fooled, the Sadrists, newly hailed as reformists, have long obstructed such laws) 17/

This has to be an Iraqi led process, and the issue has to be tackled through the very power structures that enable the exploitation of girls – i.e. the keepers of the patriarchy. We discussed potential solutions at this @ChathamHouse panel. 17/

One intervention, for example, could be to work with the right clerics to get vulnerable women who seek solace at the shrines off the street, before they are lured by traffickers, and get them to a safe place (NOT back to abusive families) 18/

There are some amazing Iraqis who are trying to fight the sex trade and they need more support. This is Gen. Wissam Al Zubaidi. He can claim credit for many of the 115 sex trafficking cases MOI investigated in 2021. But he needs more resources and political muscle 19/

.@jannatalghezzi1 from OWFI is one of the bravest women I’ve met. Her fearlessness & dedication to work with survivors is inspiring. Yet OWFI continues to face legal harassment. Instead of filing lawsuits against OWFI, the govt should work with her to rehabilitate survivors 20/

Finally, I must thank the ppl who made this investigation possible, especially the #trafficking #survivors who trusted me with their stories. I don’t have hope that this will lead to change. But I do hope I did your stories justice and gave you a voice 21/

Immense thanks to Wissam and Janat for putting up with me, Inas Ibrahim and @Barzance for helping with the incredibly difficult access, Alex Tahaov for being my partner in crime behind the camera, @ustah for an amazing edit, and @AJEnglish for taking on this challenging story.END