KRG Interior Ministry warns of labor rights violations against foreign workers

Nov. 14, 2024

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Hemin Mirani, Director General of the Interior Ministry's Office, revealed on Thursday, that some employers in the Kurdistan Region are exploiting foreign workers by forcing them to work 15-hour shifts instead of the legal 8-hour workday.

During a press conference, Mirani highlighted two forms of human trafficking affecting the region. The first involves Kurdish citizens being trafficked abroad through false promises of European life, leading them to sell their possessions for illegal migration routes.

"The second type involves trafficking foreign workers," Mirani explained. "These workers are forced to work 15 hours instead of 8, are not provided adequate accommodation, denied medical care when sick, and prevented from contacting their families by restricting access to phones and internet. This is another form of human trafficking."

The Director General emphasized the irony of such exploitation, stating, "As a nation that has faced 100 years of oppression, it's unacceptable for our society to oppress foreign women in our homes or for businesses to exploit five workers by making them work 15 hours instead of 8, while delaying their wages and rights."

In response to these violations, the ministry has established a Directorate of Organized Crime with offices in Duhok and other Kurdistan Region provinces "to set limits on human dignity violations."