Saddam used to import prostitutes from various countries to serve in brothels throughout Iraq. However, numbers of Iraqi girls who ended up in the trade began to increase during the period of inter-war sanctions. All the prostitutes available to the inspectors during the UNSCOM days were Iraqi. Today, it has become a serious problem and is perhaps the most neglected of the panoply of neglected serious issues in the country.

Al-Jazeera, 13 Aug 07: Sex for Survival
....According to the non-governmental organisation Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), 15 per cent of Iraqi women widowed by the war have been desperately searching for temporary marriages or prostitution, either for financial support or protection in the midst of sectarian war.

Nuha Salim, the spokesperson for OWFI, told Al Jazeera: "Widows are one of our priorities but their situation is worsening and we are feeling ineffective to cope with this significant problem. Hundreds of women are searching for an easy way to support their loved ones as employers refuse to hire them for fear of extremists' reprisals."

She said the NGO has documented the disappearance of some 4000 women, 20 per cent of whom are under 18, since the March 2003 invasion. OWFI believes most of the missing women were kidnapped and sold into prostitution outside Iraq.....
Besides the obvious humanitarian and long-term societal implications, think immediate IO impact. This is currently "the most e-mailed" story on Al-Jazeera.