† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Children at Higher Risk

Syrians, internally displaced Iraqis, and other non-Iraqi children in Iraq are vulnerable to exploitation due to difficulty accessing basic services, including education. High percentages of children from these groups have never attended school and are subsequently exploited in child labor. Additionally, internally displaced children and returnee children are vulnerable to being forced into labor by their families for a lack of economic opportunities. Closures of displaced persons camps exacerbated existing difficulties among this community.

Barriers to Education Access

Children in Iraq face numerous barriers to accessing education, including displacement, the lack of local schools, costs of transportation and school supplies, and discrimination. Girls face additional barriers in the form of cultural norms that prioritize boys’ education and concerns for their safety. Consequently, Iraqi girls are more likely to drop out of school, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Displaced children and non-Iraqi children are especially vulnerable to educational barriers, including the cost of transportation and school supplies, lack of documentation, and host-community children receiving priority for classroom seats. Children with special needs have limited access to education due to a lack of specialized teachers and school infrastructure. Additionally, Iraqis of Zanj heritage in Basrah have difficulty accessing education because of the low number of schools in their communities, bullying, and lack of identification documents.

‡ Age calculated based on available information

Article 117 of the Constitution of Iraq recognizes the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as a federal region composed of the provinces of Duhok, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah, as well as Halabja. Article 121 grants the Iraqi Kurdistan Region the right to exercise legislative, executive, and judicial powers. The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament must endorse any laws that the Government of Iraq passed after 1991 for such laws to enter into force in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Under the Iraqi Education Law and under the Law on Compulsory Education, children are required to attend primary school for only 6 years, which is typically up to age 12. This leaves children ages 12 to 15 particularly vulnerable to child labor because they are not required to be in school, yet they are not legally permitted to work. However, in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, compulsory primary education is 9 years, typically to age 15, in accordance with international standards.

In Iraq, Article 1 of the Law to Combat Human Trafficking requires force, fraud, or coercion to be present as an element to constitute the crime of child sex trafficking, which is inconsistent with international standards, including Article 3 of the Palermo Protocol. As the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament has adopted the Iraqi Law to Combat Human Trafficking, the human trafficking standard in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is also not in compliance with international standards. In addition, while Kurdistan criminalizes the worst forms of child labor, including procurement and offering of children for prostitution, pornography, and pornographic performances, the penalty (10 days to 3 months in jail) is insufficient to act as a deterrent. The penalty attached for forced labor, including slavery and bondage, is less than one year imprisonment and is therefore not sufficient. Federal Iraq’s laws do not prohibit the use of children in prostitution and do not clearly prohibit the use, procuring, and offering of children for the production of pornography or pornographic performances. Furthermore, Federal Iraq’s laws do not prohibit the use of children in illicit activities, while the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prohibits such use under Articles 91.3(c), 91.4, and 97 of the 1987 Labor Law. Moreover, Iraqi law does not prohibit recruitment and use of children by non-state armed groups.

In 2024, the Government of Iraq continued to inappropriately detain and prosecute, without legal representation, children allegedly affiliated with ISIS—some of whom were victims of forcible recruitment or use—and used abusive interrogation techniques and torture to obtain confessions. In addition, it is unknown how many labor inspectors conducted worksite inspections, or whether child labor violations were found. It is also unknown whether investigations into suspected cases of the worst forms of child labor were conducted, prosecutions were initiated, or perpetrators were convicted.

‡ Program is funded by the Government of Iraq.

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