These revelations come in light of the post-war Syrian reality, where the long years of conflict led to the decline of the security and social immunity that protected large segments of society, while the deteriorating living conditions and the efforts of many to escape the economic crises led to the spread of multiple forms of exploitation, some of which reached the point of human trafficking. The most prominent and sensitive issues of exploitation of children and women remain within the files of the Control Department.
In a press statement to the Syrian “Enab Baladi” website, the head of the International Combat Branch in the Human Trafficking Department, Lieutenant Colonel Manaf al-Zoubi, presented a preliminary outcome of the operations that affected trafficking networks throughout the Syrian governorates, which included the arrest of 600 involved in human smuggling cases, 100 involved in prostitution networks, 300 involved in child sexual exploitation networks, and six involved on fraud charges by claiming witchcraft and sorcery, in addition to the discovery of about 15 networks that push children to Begging, and the arrest of three people involved on charges of purchasing human organs. Al-Zoubi also confirmed that no case of organ removal by kidnapping has been recorded since the liberation.
Children are in danger
Al-Zoubi pointed out that the organized networks that push children to beg are one of the most noticeable phenomena, explaining that the statistics related to them are not completely accurate, and that the fifteen cases discovered represent what was monitored by the Control Department only.
Al-Zoubi said, “Employers exploit the needs of children, especially orphans,” adding that there are parents who push their children to beg so that this practice turns into a source of income for the family. He pointed out that the punishment for parents who push their children to beg and deprive them of their rights is more severe than others, while children who are caught begging are placed in care homes, in coordination with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.
Al-Zoubi spoke about a more dangerous form than begging, which is represented by cases of sexual exploitation of children by photographing them in suspicious and provocative situations, in preparation for selling these materials to pornographic sites, noting that 300 people involved in these networks have been referred to the judiciary.
Insulting women's dignity
Al-Zoubi discussed prostitution networks that exploit women's poverty and need, forcing them to engage in immoral acts in exchange for small sums of money. He gave an example of this: one of the owners of prostitution networks used to give the girl he was exploiting $100, while he himself received $1,000. He explained that the 100 people involved in these cases were all referred to justice.
Trafficking in human organs
Al-Zoubi explained that combating trafficking in human organs, whether with the consent of the owner or through kidnapping and later extracting them from him, falls within the tasks of his administration, stressing that “since liberation, no case of organ removal after kidnapping has been recorded.”
He pointed out that there are cases in which people sell their organs, especially kidneys, voluntarily under the guise of “donation,” while the facts reveal the existence of buyers who obtain these organs for small amounts. According to Al-Zoubi, three people involved in buying organs were arrested, with doctors possibly involved in some cases.
Regarding the penalties imposed in this context, Al-Zoubi explained that the buyer is the one who is subject to criminalization, while the victim who was forced to sell, or was forced to sell, is subjected to training courses that qualify him to work and earn a living as an alternative to selling his organs.
Al-Zoubi also pointed out that prosecuting acts of witchcraft and sorcery has become part of the work of the Anti-Human Trafficking Department, even though it was not previously within its jurisdiction, stressing that the identities and privacy of the women who were subjected to these acts remain completely confidential, given that all the victims of these cases are women.
