"Black Trade"... Human Organs Are a Growing Market in Iraq and Testimonies of "Dangerous Collusion"
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
+A
-A
Baghdad Today - Follow-up
There are stories that you might think only exist in movies because of the extent of the crime in them, but the shock comes when you discover that this actually happens in reality.
“Raya and Sakina” is a famous story that was quickly brought to mind by the Iraqi street when two women were recently arrested for luring girls to kill them and extract their organs, with the help of a man specializing in medical surgery.
Human trafficking.. a profitable organ market
Organ trafficking is widespread in Iraq, where brokers take advantage of the poor living conditions of many people... and here they present the tempting offer: buy your organs for a few thousand dollars.
A report by the Arabic website "Erem News" reveals the secrets of the black trade, and traces its threads and explores its depths. The beginning was with one of the brokers we reached through the social networking site Facebook, whose pages are full of promotional campaigns for buying and selling organs.
The broker asks for the details of the file of the potential “kidney seller,” and that is what happened in the conversation that took place with him over the phone.
Mediator: Where are you from?
Seller: From Al Kut
Mediator: What is your blood type?
Seller: O+
Mediator: What births?
Seller: Born in 1997
Mediator: What is your weight and height?
Seller: My weight is 75 and my height is approximately 173
Broker: The operation takes place in the Sulaymaniyah area. We pay all your travel and expenses, and you receive your account one hour before the operation. What is the amount you are requesting?
Seller: How much do you give?
Broker: We give you 27 million dinars. When you come to Baghdad, I will send you a driver to take you to the Sulaymaniyah area.
Seller: Shall we schedule an appointment for the tests today or what?
Mediator: When you come, we do the tests, and you go directly to a committee, and then you are referred to the surgeon.
Hossam sold his kidney to escape financial hardship.
This is where the story begins. On these platforms, the person - the victim - may find an easy way to get rid of his many financial burdens, but when he decides to give up one of his organs, he does not think about the consequences of his decision, which may lead him to death for many reasons.
Hussam is an Iraqi young man of about 23 years old. He thought that by selling his kidney he could get rid of his suffering imposed on him by difficult circumstances that forced him to leave the house of his father who had passed away, after pressures were exerted on him by his stepmother. Thus, overnight, Hussam found himself in the clutches of blood merchants and at the door of an operating room in a school that had been equipped for this purpose.
The young man says, “One time, I was browsing my phone and found a post on Facebook saying that there were people who wanted someone to donate a kidney to them without the guardian’s consent, and they would bear all the costs of the procedures, tests, and accommodation. The page of the person who published it had a fake name, and I was shocked at the time because the amount of money was large and I was unemployed.”
After 4 days of conversation between the mediator and Hossam, the latter told him that he accepted the offer and that he was ready to undergo the operation. The young man secretly made that decision, and as soon as the mediator trusted Hossam, he sent him his phone number and set a time to meet him... It was a Saturday evening, and the place was in Dohuk Governorate.
“When I entered the place, I thought I was the only one there, but I found two people and a woman over thirty years old. I was not allowed to talk to anyone, and the mediator immediately told me: Go to that room of yours and be ready at 8:00 in the morning,” Hossam added.
The amount that Hussam agreed upon with the mediator for the kidney was 20 million Iraqi dinars, but the mediator later raised it to 25 million Iraqi dinars. Now, everything is coming to an end, and here Hussam began to feel great fear inside, but he could no longer back down, except that he had no other choice.
It's over and Hossam sold his kidney.
“After we had breakfast, someone called the broker and told him the car was waiting,” Hossam says. “I was afraid of everything going on around me, but I had nothing to lose, and returning meant continuing my suffering. When I got into the car, I said to myself that it was over and I had recited the Shahada.”
He continued: “The place we arrived at was not a health center, but rather something like an old school where there were doctors, but they did not wear their white robes as is customary. I had to enter first, and the mediator gave each of us the full amount, and then I entered the operation, and we did not even sign any papers.”
It's over now that Hossam has sold the kidney, and after a harsh experience he comes to the conclusion that these traders or brokers do not respect a person for who he is, but for the organs he owns, as he represents to them an organ bank to which they may return at any moment and according to need.
Lamia is a victim of fraud and theft.
Lamia's story is different from Hussam's, but it is shrouded in mystery and strangeness. This Iraqi woman did not resort to selling any of her organs, but was robbed in a hospital in the capital, Baghdad. Lamia says that she entered the hospital to undergo a "hemorrhoid operation," but what happened is suspicious.
Lamia says, “I had the operation at the Medical City Hospital in Baghdad, but the pain continued for about 3 months, so my husband and I went to a doctor in Diwaniyah Governorate, and after conducting the tests, he told me: You did not have any fistula operation originally, but rather the right ovary was removed.”
She continued: "When we confronted the doctor who performed the operation on me, she completely denied it, so we filed a lawsuit against her until she admitted that they had the ovary in the hospital."
Lamia added: “They tried to silence us with money so that we would not raise this issue, which falls under the framework of human organ trafficking. The strange thing is that I insured my health and went to a government hospital to have a fistula removed, and then my ovary was stolen. To this day, I have not been able to collect anything.”
Lamia's novel confirms that the activity of organ traffickers is not limited to black rooms or secret basements only, but extends beyond that to the extent of influencing doctors who collude with these networks and their members to extract organs they need.
Criminal activity sometimes takes place in the most prestigious hospitals!
“Sometimes we see this criminal activity happening in the best hospitals in the world, not just in illegal clinics,” says Aimee Comrie, coordinator of the Global Action Project to Combat Trafficking in Persons. “Sometimes doctors themselves are part of these organized networks.”
In fact, the matter does not end at the point of removing a kidney or giving up an organ and getting money in return, but the consequences may be serious if the person is not able to undergo periodic medical examinations... This is the case of someone who sells an organ from his body, as what drove him to do so is extreme poverty.
Here, Hossam says that he is still suffering from complications from the operation, and that his remaining kidney might be damaged and I might die, adding: “What I did was not only a risk, but suicide.”
“You can live with one kidney when you have regular medical care, go once a month to get your protein levels checked or blood tests, and have regular health insurance,” Aimee explains.
She added: “What happens is that after the operations, these people will actually suffer negative medical consequences for life, in addition to the fact that they will not tell doctors or health centers for fear of being prosecuted and arrested.”
The victim is not a criminal!
What Comrie mentioned here is very important, because the victim in Iraq is the subject of prosecution, detention and prosecution, and is viewed as a participant in the crime rather than a victim, which makes it difficult for the authorities to control these networks, while informing the victims could have contributed to the arrest of many of their members.
In this context, Comrie calls for victims of trafficking not to be prosecuted, and for them to be recognized as victims as such.
“It’s difficult for law enforcement in all countries, not just Iraq, to identify victims because they may have signed a contract and said, ‘Yes, I wanted to give up my kidney,’ and they received a payment,” she continues. “It could be a few hundred dollars, it could be $10,000 in Asia, but the fact that victims received some money doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not victims.”
The phenomenon of organ trafficking has grown very quickly and has spread to all governorates. What contributes to the spread of this trade is the leniency of the law and the rulings towards human trafficking networks, according to what the human rights activist Muhannad Al-Quraishi says, noting that “whenever members of the organ and human trafficking networks are arrested, they are released in exchange for financial bail.”
For his part, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Interior and the Security Media Cell, Brigadier General Muqdad Miri, said, “The methods of attracting victims by human trafficking networks are many, and most of them are either through luring, bargaining, or agreements between gangs, while kidnapping issues are very limited, but it can be said that the scope of their work is wide throughout the country.”
He added, "We are dealing with this matter through an executive and precautionary measure that prevents this crime from occurring through awareness, education, and the use of community police, as well as friends of the Interior Ministry and religious guides, in addition to spreading propaganda against the work of these networks."
There are no accurate statistics on this trade due to “attempts to cover up many of the operations by some parties associated with these criminal networks, while the most important factor - according to specialists - who spoke to uncover the threads of this black trade and human trafficking is supporting the victims who fell into the trap, and not looking at them as criminals, followed by institutional treatments to improve the conditions of young people by providing them with job opportunities to dissuade them from thinking about disastrous solutions.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Yesterday at 3:15 pm by Rocky
» utube MM&C 10/17/24 MM&C News Reporting - Iraq Dinar Updates 10/16/2024
Yesterday at 8:13 am by Rocky
» Aides CUT OFF Interview as Kamala Harris BOMBS on Fox News
Yesterday at 6:59 am by Rocky
» Trump's women's voters town hall oct 16-24
Yesterday at 6:59 am by Rocky
» MM&C 10/16/24 Iraq Increases Reserves at IMF by 50%
Yesterday at 6:58 am by Rocky
» MM&C 10/15/24 US Senate enters the line of pressure on the Central Bank of Iraq
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 10/15/24 Attention to Valuation-Revaluation of Currency-IMF-WB-Viewpoints
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Trade Bank of Iraq announces the imminent opening of Al-Saydiyah and Al-Samawah branches
Yesterday at 6:53 am by Rocky
» Finance launches third issue of government bonds “Enjaz” for public subscription
Yesterday at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Washington: We support Iraq’s economic reform agenda, updating the budget and enhancing transparency
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Muqtada al-Sadr: German Foreign Minister must retract her statements supporting the killing of civil
Yesterday at 6:44 am by Rocky
» About $270 million in sales from the Central Bank of Iraq at today's auction
Yesterday at 6:42 am by Rocky
» Oil Ministry: Iraq is one of the worst violators of gas flaring rules
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs a meeting to follow up on efforts to develop the work of the government banking sec
Yesterday at 6:39 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses the importance of banking reform in enhancing citizen confidence and cooperation
Yesterday at 6:36 am by Rocky
» BRICS currency.. Government advisor: A global monetary and financial system is about to be born
Yesterday at 5:56 am by Bama Diva
» Iraq imports 17% of Jordanian food industry products
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» MP: 3 Iraqi messages at the International Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Geneva
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Oil dismisses the Director General of the North Oil Company from his position
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani calls on Baghdad not to be afraid of arming the Peshmerga: They are defending Iraq
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Two waste sites identified for use in energy generation in Baghdad
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» EU seeks to build economic corridor with Gulf states
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Industry announces obligating brick factories to switch to gas instead of black oil
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Iraq ranks third in real estate purchases in Türkiye during the month
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic discusses the investment situation in the country
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Iraq reconstruction projects before Arab ministers
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government has regained the confidence of citizens
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Major government campaign to combat environmental pollution
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» The food basket and care increased the citizen’s share of the GDP.
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Economic Contradictions: Argentina as a Model
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» Malians: No significant impact of dollar's rise in markets
Yesterday at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Calls to speed up the establishment of the {Bank of the Poor}
Yesterday at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Today.. The Kurdistan government announces a list of September salaries
Yesterday at 4:40 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani pledges to adopt a 5-dimensional "integrated strategy" to support Diyala
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Barzani and Erdogan discuss the development road project
Yesterday at 4:37 am by Rocky
» The Presidency of the Republic calls for submitting applications regarding death sentences that do n
Yesterday at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Iraq is heading to import gas from deep in Asia
Yesterday at 4:34 am by Rocky
» They brought in about 4 billion dollars.. Iran receives more than 4 million tourists, led by Iraq, i
Yesterday at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Will "Turkmen gas" change the reality of electricity in Iraq?
Yesterday at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Politician: US Ambassador Failed to Create Western Veto on Parliament Laws
Yesterday at 4:27 am by Rocky
» White House adopts hotline with Baghdad in preparation for indirect negotiations with Tehran
Yesterday at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Deputy Minister of Oil publishes phrases for unknown reasons on his Facebook account
Yesterday at 4:24 am by Rocky
» He inaugurated and announced strategic projects and issued 3 important decisions.. Dimensions of Al-
Yesterday at 4:23 am by Rocky
» The trial period for raising the prices of improved gasoline has ended, and the amount of revenues i
Yesterday at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the fourth in the world in violating “Internet freedom” during 2024
Yesterday at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Parliament Speaker Crisis Looms.. Coordination Framework Agrees to Support Al-Mashhadani
Yesterday at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani Party: Parliament fully supports the Prime Minister
Yesterday at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan Finance Deposits More Than 77 Billion in Non-Oil Revenues into Baghdad Treasury
Yesterday at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Causing environmental pollution.. Closure of 30 metal smelting sites east of Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Traffic announces the imminent start of issuing license plates for taxis, trucks and bicycles
Yesterday at 4:14 am by Rocky
» A huge fire devours a hypermarket in Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:13 am by Rocky
» Planning: The general census will collect accurate information on employees in the public and privat
Yesterday at 4:12 am by Rocky
» The Commission announces its full readiness to hold the Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections
Yesterday at 4:11 am by Rocky
» The Coordination Framework agrees to support Al-Mashhadani for the presidency of Parliament
Yesterday at 4:10 am by Rocky
» Sunni political meeting to discuss general amnesty and the issue of the position of the Speaker of P
Yesterday at 4:09 am by Rocky
» Petroleum Products: The percentage of imports of derivatives decreased to 50 percent
Yesterday at 4:08 am by Rocky
» "Medicines in Iraq" .. Talk about smuggled treatments and the absence of a pharmaceutical policy
Yesterday at 4:05 am by Rocky
» Dollar exchange rate drops on Thursday morning
Yesterday at 4:03 am by Rocky
» "Suspicion" in Karbala Refinery: Failure to train Iraqi cadres.. Korean will renew the operating con
Yesterday at 4:02 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Committee Talks About Economic Reform Law: It Reached Parliament Months Ago
Yesterday at 4:00 am by Rocky
» New Study Talks About an American Crime: Uranium Fingerprint in the Blood of Iraqis
Yesterday at 3:59 am by Rocky
» Electoral silence in Kurdistan before stormy vote
Yesterday at 3:58 am by Rocky
» Special voting for Kurdistan elections starts tomorrow and the commission announces its readiness
Yesterday at 3:57 am by Rocky
» Iraq's 2025 budget returns to the forefront, so what are the demands?
Yesterday at 3:55 am by Rocky
» great interview President Trump's Interview with Bloomberg at The Economic Club of Chicago
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 7:03 am by Rocky
» Foreign remittance sales increase by 97% at Central Bank auction
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 6:44 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki invites international companies to invest in agriculture in Iraq
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:14 am by Rocky
» MP urges Sunni forces to decide on Parliament Speakership
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani is upset with the procrastination and threatens to withdraw the Australian hospital projec
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Coordination Framework agrees to support Al-Mashhadani for the presidency of Parliament and pass
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:10 am by Rocky
» Finance Minister and US Ambassador Discuss Government Efforts to Achieve Economic Reforms
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:08 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Services: Nearly 80% of waste landfill sites do not have environmental approvals
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:06 am by Rocky
» "The rise of the dollar is not the reason".. An expert reveals the reasons for the rise in meat pric
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani lists the implementation of 99 schools in Diyala with funding from this party
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Furatain Bloc: Al-Sudani's government is working to complete all service projects on time
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:03 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank reveals the percentage of gold in Iraq's foreign currency reserves
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:02 am by Rocky
» Rusafa is cleaner than Karkh.. Analysis of the air pollution index in Baghdad
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 5:00 am by Rocky
» Medical complex for the treatment of psychological disorders and drug addiction
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:59 am by Rocky
» Toxic waste
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:58 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We have started to address environmental pollution
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:57 am by Rocky
» Opening of Bastora Dam in Erbil
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:55 am by Rocky
» A move to build hospitals to treat mental disorders
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:54 am by Rocky
» Al-Naili to {Sabah}: Starting to establish the Martyrs Fund
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:53 am by Rocky
» National Lending Strategy
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:51 am by Rocky
» Exporting aviation fuel... a new step towards diversifying revenues
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:50 am by Rocky
» Oil falls, OPEC cuts growth forecast
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:49 am by Rocky
» Foreign Minister leaves Baghdad on a European tour that begins with a visit to Ireland and ends in F
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:48 am by Rocky
» Launching of the activities of the international scientific conference under the slogan "Development
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:46 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary recommendations to update the proposed law on the organization of trade unions for wor
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:44 am by Rocky
» Minister of Finance stresses the importance of partnership with the United States to achieve sustain
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:43 am by Rocky
» Minister of Transport supervises the submersion of concrete pieces of the submerged tunnel in the Gr
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:41 am by Rocky
» The Parliamentary Oil Committee meets with the Minister of Electricity to explain the mechanisms for
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:40 am by Rocky
» MP calls for electing a chairman for the Nineveh Investment Commission
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:39 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers decides to appoint 7 general managers in various ministries
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:38 am by Rocky
» Transport issues clarification regarding a photo of its Minister with the Minister of Oil: Private v
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:36 am by Rocky
» Barzani heads to Ankara tomorrow carrying 6 files
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:35 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani puts major countries before their responsibilities
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:34 am by Rocky
» Iraqi oil suffers heavy losses in third session of the week
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim calls for greater attention to food security and agricultural production
Wed 16 Oct 2024, 4:31 am by Rocky