Iraqi Refugees Turning to Prostitution

The rise of female Iraqi refugees turning to prostitution to survive reflects a troubling trend in the Iraqi refugee crisis. Most troubling to some human rights groups is the possibility that ever-younger girls may turn to, or be pulled into, the sex trade, desperate to support their families.

Financial opportunities provide the lure in places such as Damascus, where an Iraqi woman can earn 10 times more from a single encounter with a client than she can by working a full day as a housemaid. Better jobs are out of reach because Syria and Jordan generally refuse work permits to Iraqis.

Amnesty International reports that its representatives were told on a visit to Syria that young Iraqi girls were being pressured by families to engage in prostitution. The group said it was worried that Iraqi child trafficking could grow.

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