Parliament pledges support to find the missing children of Halabja chemical attack

25th May 2019 - On International Missing Children's Day, the Kurdistan Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami met representatives of families whose children went missing in the aftermath of the 1988 chemical bombardment of Halabja.

Ms. Sawsan Muhammad Mirkhan, the Head of Parliament’s Martyrs’ Affairs, Genocide and Political Prisoners Committee, and the Halabja Victims Association were also at the meeting.

The representatives asked that Parliament pass legislation to facilitate the search for 74 families’ 170 missing children, who became separated in the chemical bombardment that killed at least 5,000 men, women and children. Only a small number of the missing have been reunited with their families as adults.

Mr. Hawrami and Ms. Mirkhan assured the representatives that they will ask the future Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to take practical steps to find the missing children.

Deputy Speaker Hawrami said, "The Kurdistan Parliament will fulfill its humanitarian and national responsibilities once the new cabinet is formed, to work on finding the missing children, and the Legislative Committee and Martyr's Affairs, Genocide and Political Prisoners Committee can meet with the relevant KRG officials to draft a bill on the missing children and their families".

They also discussed establishing a DNA testing centre with international standards in Kurdistan Region.