Iraq Proposes Controversial Bill To Reduce Minimum Age Of Marriage For Girls To Just 9 Years

A proposed bill in Iraq's parliament has sparked widespread outrage and concern as it seeks to lower the legal marriage age for girls to just 9 years old.

The controversial legislation, introduced by the Iraq Justice Ministry, aims to amend the country's Personal Status Law, which currently sets the minimum age for marriage at 18.

If passed, the bill would allow girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 to wed, raising serious concerns about an increase in child marriage and exploitation.

Critics argue that this regressive move threatens decades of progress in promoting women's rights and gender equality.

Human rights organisations, women's groups, and civil society activists have strongly opposed the bill, warning of severe consequences for young girls' education, health, and well-being.

They argue that child marriage leads to higher dropout rates, early pregnancies, and an increased risk of domestic violence.

The bill would also give citizens the option to choose between religious authorities or the civil judiciary for decisions on family matters, such as inheritance, divorce, and child custody.

Critics fear this will erode rights in these areas, giving "huge leeway for male dominance over family issues" in an already conservative society, as Amal Kabashi of the Iraq Women's Network put it.

The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, reports that 28 percent of girls in Iraq are already married before the age of 18. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar warned that "passing this law would show a country moving backward, not forwards," and stressed that it could "legalise the marriage of girls as young as nine years old, stealing the futures and well-being of countless girls."

Sanbar further said, "Girls belong on the playground and in school, not in a wedding dress."

The bill had been withdrawn in late July after objections from many lawmakers, but it resurfaced in an August 4 session with the backing of powerful Shia blocs that dominate the parliament. Proponents of the bill argue that it aims to standardize Islamic law and protect young girls from "immoral relationships." However, opponents counter that this reasoning is flawed and disregards the harsh realities of child marriage.

This proposed legislation would mark a significant departure from the 1959 law, enacted after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, which transferred authority over family law from religious figures to the state judiciary. The new bill would reintroduce the option to apply religious rules, primarily from Shia and Sunni Islam, though it does not address other religious or sectarian communities within Iraq's diverse population.

It remains unclear if this latest attempt to change the law will succeed where several previous efforts have failed.