At a press conference at the Youth and Migration Forum at the University of Sulaimani, the Raperîn Youth Organization announced that more than 2,000 young people from the Raperîn region have emigrated abroad since the beginning of 2025.
Resûl Fetah, the father of one of the youngsters who went missing on the migration route in 2021, Ehmed Hesen, President of the Raperîn Youth Organization, and Dr. Ebdulfetah from the Coordination and Dialogue Management Department at the University of Sulaimani spoke at the press conference on Monday.
‘Our children emigrate due to poor living conditions’
Resul Fetah stated that living conditions forced young people to migrate, saying, “The reason our children migrated was because of poor living conditions and a lack of opportunities. We are calling on the Kurdistan Regional Government to find our son, who has been missing for four years.”
6,800 young people left the Kurdistan Region in 2024
The President of the Raperîn Youth Organization, Ehmed Hesen, stated that 2,300 young people have emigrated from the region since the beginning of 2025 alone. He continued: “Some were detained, some lost their lives, and their bodies were brought back. Just last month, the bodies of five young migrants were recovered. The purpose of this forum is to find a solution to the illegal youth emigration that has led to 6,800 young people leaving the Kurdistan Region in 2024. We call upon the government to reduce youth emigration and find the missing migrants.”
‘The government should develop employment policies’
Hesen emphasized that the reason young people emigrate is the lack of good living conditions and job opportunities, stating that the government should develop employment policies specifically for young people in the Raperîn region.
Dr. Ebdulfetah from the Coordination and Dialogue Management Department at University of Sulaimani said, “We are working in cooperation with civil society and government institutions to address the issue of emigration. Today we will discuss the problems faced by young people in two panels.”