Baghdad police arrest women with children in Karrada on begging charges

BAGHDAD — Al-Rusafa Police announced Tuesday the arrest of several women accompanied by their children in Baghdad’s Karrada area on charges of begging.

In a statement, the police said a patrol monitored a Kia vehicle before stopping it in the area. A video released by police media showed nine women inside the vehicle.

Police said the vehicle was intercepted while heading toward Karbala “for the purpose of begging.”

Articles 390 and 391 of the Iraqi Penal Code  classify begging as a criminal offense, punishable by up to three months in prison or a fine of 450,000 dinars (approximately $343).

In October 2025, Basra police officials warned that begging in the city is evolving in scale and method. “Many beggars, especially children, are brought in from outside the governorate, often from rural areas, and are managed at times by their own families,” Basra Police media director Basim Al-Maliki said in an interview with Al-Basra TV.

In May, the Kurdistan Region’s Fatwa Committee, under the Union of Islamic Scholars of Kurdistan, issued guidance discouraging people from giving money to beggars, particularly children, unless financial need is clearly verified. The religious opinion aimed to reduce public begging, which officials and clerics say may involve exploitation or be part of organized networks.