In 2010 at the age of 16, Wissam left his home in Babil province to find work in Basra. At times, he had to beg to survive. Wissam's parents searched for him for nearly four years, but to no avail, and then on Feb. 27, they saw him on television.

The police had picked up Wissam and transferred him to a homeless shelter in Baghdad. There he met Sabrine Kazem, a young journalist covering social issues for Alhurra Iraq TV. It was her story for a news bulletin that led Wissam's family to find their son.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Kazem said, "The shelter is full of tales of homeless persons who are neglected by their families. Some of them have passed the legal age [until which time they are required to stay at the shelter]. I wanted to highlight this category of people that no one pays attention to." Kazem also said, "All of the young men in the shelter have pale faces. They are uncomfortable and do not receive high-quality rehabilitation so they can return to normal city life." 

Wissam had repeatedly told the police and the homeless shelter that he had family in Babil province awaiting his return. His appeals, however, went unheeded. No one tried to reunite him with his family or to even inform them of his whereabouts.