UN says concerned over foreign workers in BIAP

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A UN special representative for Iraq expressed concerns over the “plight” of about 1,000 foreigners brought in with promises of work and then left without jobs in the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). “The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq takes the allegations of human trafficking by contractors in Iraq very seriously and is concerned about their predicament,” UNAMI chief Staffan de Mistura said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com. A report published by CNN on December 5 said that an abandoned warehouse inside BIAP has become the refuge of a poor workers from Asia and Africa trafficked by a Kuwaiti company after they signed contracts to work for a security firm that has a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense. “The case in BIAP is one that has made public headlines but we are aware of other cases, some of which have reached relevant courts, and we hope will also be addressed in accordance with international labor law standards,” de Mistura added. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Staffan de Mistura of Sweden as his Special Representative for Iraq. De Mistura replaced Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. AmR (P) 1