Nightclubs, cafes still risky business for Iraqi women
Young women working in Iraq's nightclubs, casinos and even cafes often find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous business owners and even mafiosos, in addition to suffering from public condemnation and little government protection.
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi parliament's Committee on Women, Family and Childhood revealed Nov. 13 that there are organized criminals behind the work of some female minors in cafes and casinos. The committee said this phenomenon is no different from that of human trafficking.
The next day, an Iraqi radio station reported the story of a 17-year-old girl who works at a nightclub in Baghdad. “I have to work because I need money” to support herself and her mother, she said. "The owner of the club raped me more than once." She also said she is subjected to beatings almost daily.
