Cosmetic centers in Iraq, especially in the capital, Baghdad, are witnessing a wide and controversial spread, in light of the excesses and violations that affect public health, social security, and even the justice system.
The Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq recently announced the record of three injuries to HIV (AIDS) among foreign workers in women’s beauty salons.
While the injuries were discovered during the routine examination campaigns and the renewal of health permits, without disclosing the names or sites of these centers.
However, this development raised great concerns between the citizens and the pioneers of these centers in Baghdad, and shed light on the fragility of health control over this expanding sector.
Illegal works
However, the case does not stop there. Security sources confirmed to Al -Arabiya and Al -Hadath that many beauty centers have turned into facades of illegal works that include money laundering, dollar smuggling, human trafficking, and even promotion and drug use.
The sources also confirmed that these activities are sometimes carried out under a political and militia cover, which hinders accountability and weakens the role of state institutions.
She pointed out that in some cases, the cadres working in these centers do not have any real medical or cosmetic rehabilitation, which led to hundreds of medical and cosmetic errors that distorted the bodies of customers, and caused severe damage without being held accountable.
In addition, the sources indicated that the political and militia influence linked to these centers stands in front of the procedures of the Ministry of Health and control institutions, as the latter is unable to close or hold some centers protected by influential parties.
My people’s dissatisfaction
While this reality sparked a wave of popular discontent, especially since many of these centers were opened in sophisticated areas and at a cost that is not commensurate with the revenues of the cosmetic sector, which raises doubts about their real financing sources.
Amid these developments, invitations from the Iraqi street and civil society rise to tighten control over cosmetics and organize their work legally, and to ensure that violators are held accountable and those who use these facades to pass illegal activities.
Many are also demanding the activation of the judicial role in pursuing those centers, which are related to health, financial and moral crimes, and to restore consideration of public safety and health standards.
