Baghdad police arrest suspect accused of trafficking beggars

BAGHDAD — Baghdad’s Rusafa police command said Sunday it had arrested a suspect accused of transporting and distributing female beggars between Baghdad and other governorates, following a surveillance operation based on intelligence information.

Officers set up an ambush that resulted in the arrest of the suspect along with four female beggars and several children, police said. All were placed in custody and legal measures taken against them.

Begging has expanded in Baghdad and other governorates in recent years, with authorities saying organized networks have emerged that exploit women and children. The Iraqi Council of Ministers approved a national anti-begging campaign in June 2025, assigning the Interior Ministry and National Security Service to implement it in coordination with other agencies. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced a parallel plan offering monthly financial support to detained beggars in exchange for signed pledges not to return to begging.

Academics and officials have linked the rise in begging to poverty, unemployment, displacement and weak social protection systems. A University of Baghdad workshop in February examined government policies on the issue and discussed employment initiatives as a longer-term response.