National Security arrests women accused of selling newborns in Diwaniyah

DIWANIYAH — Iraq’s National Security Service said Tuesday it arrested three women in Diwaniyah on charges of trafficking newborns, including an unlicensed midwife accused of selling infants.

The agency said its officers acted on citizen reports of newborns being sold for trafficking purposes in the governorate. After verifying the information and securing judicial approval, security units arrested one woman in possession of a male infant less than a day old, along with cash and gold jewelry.

According to the statement, the suspect admitted to her involvement in the trade and identified three accomplices, including an unlicensed midwife. Security forces also seized medical equipment and tools allegedly used in illegal childbirth operations.

Authorities transferred the infant immediately to the neonatal department at the Women and Children’s Hospital for medical care. The suspects were placed in detention under Iraq’s anti-human trafficking laws pending further legal action.

The arrests come a day after the Rusafa Criminal Court on Monday sentenced a woman to 10 years in prison after she was found with a child she had purchased for 9 million dinars ($6,322) and intended to resell.

In February, a Baghdad man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling his infant son after advertising him on social media. In December 2024, Baghdad Police Command reported arresting a man and a woman in Adhamiya for allegedly selling two children for four million dinars ($2,638).