A new draft law in Iraq would allow for girls as young as 9 to marry, causing international uproar over fears for child protection. The proposed law, which has just passed its initial round of reading in the Iraqi parliament, would give religious authorities all authority regarding family decisions, including marriage, divorce, and childbearing. The law was originally proposed earlier this year and has now come to the forefront of international news after passing its first reading.
The current legal age in Iraq is 18, a law that was set in place in the 1950s. However, this does not stop child marriages from occurring. A study conducted by UNICEF found that 28% of girls in Iraq are married before they reach the country’s legal age.
The Shia religious group dominates Iraqi politics and has been pushing for continuous cutbacks of women’s rights, which often align with the strict Sharia-based laws that are enforced in countries like neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Their justification for the low age limit argues that the drafted law adheres to certain Islamic policies. Iraq’s government has been overpowered by the Shia group since 2021. Since then, they have passed many strict government laws, such as criminalising gay and transgender people in the country. The Shia religious group has often been compared to the Taliban due to their constant attacks on female rights and the controlling style of the regime.
This political move has drawn condemnation from women’s rights organisations like the Iraq-based Aman Women’s Alliance. and other international human rights groups, who argue that it effectively legalises child marriage and exposes young girls to the possibility of severe physical, emotional, and educational harm. Nadia Mahmood, co-founder of the Aman Women’s Alliance thinks that the government’s constant attempts to oppress female rights are from a place of fear, following on from 2019’s mass youth riots, where the protesters were predominantly women:
“They felt that feminist, gender and women’s organisations, plus civil society and activist movements, posed a threat to their power and status … and began to restrict and suppress them.”
Raya Faiq coordinates a coalition of organisations that want to reject this law and has been speaking out about the potentially detrimental impact on women and girls if this proposal succeeds. “Imagine if my daughter gets married and my daughter’s husband wants to marry off my granddaughter as a child. The new law would allow him to do so.”
She highlighted the main concern over this law:
“This law legalises child rape.”
