KRG Launches Family-Based Care Initiative to Replace Institutional Upbringing

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a significant and compassionate policy shift aimed at ensuring the most vulnerable children grow up in the nurturing embrace of a family rather than the institutional confines of an orphanage, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has officially launched an "alternative family" system, a landmark initiative personally approved by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

This new framework, announced on International Children's Day, represents the cornerstone of the government's evolving strategy for child welfare, a philosophy that fundamentally prioritizes the family environment as the most special and essential setting for a child's development.

This initiative is one of several proactive measures being rolled out by the KRG to protect children, tackle the root causes of child labor, and create a comprehensive safety net for those in need.

Zakiya Said Salih, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs for the Kurdistan Region, unveiled the details of this new, family-centric approach in a statement to Kurdistan24.

She explained that the "alternative family" system was formally approved for the first time by the Prime Minister to provide a structured and legally sound pathway "for those families who want to take responsibility for a child."

This move, she stressed, is a direct reflection of the KRG's core belief about what is best for a child's well-being.

 "The strategy of the Regional Government is for children to be raised and remain within families," Salih said, "because the family environment is much more special and different than the [orphanage] homes."

This strategic pivot is being supported by a raft of other new and enhanced measures designed to create a more robust and responsive child protection system across the Kurdistan Region.

In another groundbreaking development, Salih announced the establishment of a specialized unit dedicated solely to child welfare within all social affairs directorates.

"For the first time, a special unit for monitoring and protecting children is being established in all directorates," she confirmed, "and it will continuously follow up on the problems and issues of children."

This initiative will create a permanent and specialized body of experts focused on early intervention, case management, and ensuring that children's issues are addressed with the urgency and expertise they require.

The KRG is also leveraging its strong partnerships with international organizations to provide targeted support to children at risk. Salih highlighted a recent successful project conducted in coordination with United Nations organizations that provided crucial assistance to children with special needs or those from low-income families.

She explained that the program offered support for a period of nine months to children between the ages of 13 and 15, enabling them to return to their education.

This initiative is a practical example of the government's multi-pronged approach, which seeks not only to provide care but also to address the underlying economic and social factors that can push children out of school and into vulnerable situations.

These proactive measures by the KRG stand in contrast to the broader situation in federal Iraq, which continues to face a deep and multifaceted crisis of child labor and exploitation.

 A recent report by the U.S. Department of Labor, titled “2024 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor,” acknowledged that the Iraqi government had launched 44 Childhood Care Units across the country to coordinate child protection services.

However, the report concluded that despite this initiative, Iraq as a whole was "assessed as having made only minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor."

This grim reality in federal Iraq, as previously documented by Kurdistan24, has led to a heartbreaking surge in child labor and organized begging, particularly in major cities like Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra.

Reports from international agencies and local media have painted a picture of a lost generation, with approximately 13 percent of Iraqi children engaged in hazardous or exploitative labor.

This crisis, rooted in decades of conflict, extreme poverty, and institutional collapse, has forced many families to flee north to the comparative safety and stability of the Kurdistan Region.

In response to this influx and the challenges within its own borders, the KRG has been intensifying its efforts to combat child labor, particularly on the streets of its cities. As reported by Kurdistan24, authorities in Erbil have launched a multi-stage project to address the issue.

Yousef Chawshin, Director General of Social Welfare and Development in Erbil, confirmed that a special committee had been actively monitoring children working in public areas for months. "We will visit the families directly to understand the reasons behind their children’s work," Chawshin explained, adding a stern warning: "Families who force their children to work will face police penalties."

He also made it clear that cases involving organized exploitation would be treated with the utmost seriousness. "Anyone, including parents, who is found trafficking children will be arrested" under the region’s anti-trafficking laws, he said.

These enforcement measures are complemented by a strong emphasis on compassion and support, a philosophy that is also embodied by the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF), a leading humanitarian organization in the region.

As reported by Kurdistan24, the BCF recently launched its "Azizani Kurdistan" project, a major initiative aimed at supporting thousands of orphaned children. In its first phase alone, the project distributed over $1.36 million in financial assistance to more than 3,500 children, with a second phase planned to benefit over 11,000 more with the support of the UAE Red Crescent.

The BCF's work in providing financial aid, food assistance, healthcare, and educational support serves as a crucial pillar in the broader societal effort to protect vulnerable children and keep them within a supportive community network.

The KRG's new "alternative family" system, therefore, is not an isolated policy but the logical and compassionate culmination of a comprehensive and evolving strategy.

By combining legal reform, institutional capacity-building, international partnerships, targeted law enforcement, and the robust efforts of civil society, the government is striving to create an environment where every child has the opportunity to grow up in safety and dignity.

The message from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is clear and unwavering: the future of Kurdistan depends on the well-being of its children, and the best place for that future to be nurtured is not within the walls of an institution, but within the heart of a family.