Punjabi girl’s horrific ordeal in Iraq: A chilling tale of human trafficking

The exploitation of Punjabi girls in Gulf countries continues unabated. A young woman from Punjab’s Moga district, who recently returned after enduring a hellish life in Iraq, has shared her horrific experience. She reached Nirmal Kutia in Sultanpur Lodhi to thank Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, whose efforts helped bring her safely back to her family.

The survivor revealed that a travel agent from Jagraon has created a web of deceit in rural areas, luring poor girls abroad with false promises. Under the pretext of offering “good jobs”, these girls are sent to Iraq. According to her, around 20 to 25 Punjabi girls are still trapped there.

She narrated that she left for Iraq on January 8, 2024. First, she was taken to Dubai and from there sent to Iraq. The travel agent had promised her a tailoring job, weekly holidays, and permission to use a mobile phone to contact her family — but the reality was completely opposite. Once in Iraq, she was forced to work as a domestic servant. The employer attempted to assault her, and when she resisted and recorded a video as evidence, she was brutally beaten at the behest of the travel agent and his wife.

“One day, they beat me until the stick broke,” she said, her voice trembling. The continuous abuse and violence took a toll on her mental health, leaving her in deep depression for months. Finally, on August 10, she reached out to Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal through social media. Acting swiftly, Sant Seechewal intervened, and as a result, she returned safely to Punjab on September 28. Even after returning, she remained in shock for an entire month.

She said she could never forget the horrific days she spent in Iraq. Seechewal called her a symbol of courage who fought for her own rights. He urged other trapped girls to gather courage and raise their voices too. He warned that such human trafficking networks have dangerously expanded across rural areas, pushing poor girls into a living hell abroad.

Sant Seechewal appealed to the government to take immediate action against these travel rackets operating under the guise of foreign employment. He added that every girl who has returned so far has confirmed that many others are still trapped there — a clear indication of how widespread and organised this racket has become. “This is not just the story of one girl,” Sant Seechewal said, “but of all those Indian daughters who are falling prey to the false promises of agents and suffering unimaginable abuse in Gulf countries”.