Iraq is on the verge of enacting a controversial law that would reduce the legal age of consent from 18 to as young as nine, effectively permitting men to marry underage girls, as revealed in a recent report. Shia conservative factions, which hold significant power within the Iraqi parliament, have introduced an amendment to the nation’s “personal status law” that raises concerns about regressive measures regarding women’s rights, reminiscent of Taliban-era policies.
Raya Faiq, who is leading efforts to contest this legislation alongside other female Iraqi representatives, expressed grave concerns: “This is a catastrophe for women,” Faiq told The Guardian. “This law legalizes child rape.”
Critics argue that the proposed amendments would strip women of their autonomy. Since the U.S. invasion in 2003, which toppled Saddam Hussein’s oppressive secular regime at a cost of approximately $3 trillion aimed at rebuilding governance and education, Iraq has struggled with political instability. This instability has led to a government increasingly influenced by the Shia Muslim religious majority.
Attempts to revise the personal status law in the past were thwarted by pushback from Iraqi women. Now, with religious factions holding a substantial parliamentary majority, advocates like Faiq face significant hurdles in their effort to prevent a second vote that could confirm the bill’s passage.
Alia Nassif, another representative, noted the troubling perspective of many male lawmakers regarding this issue: “Unfortunately, male MPs who support this law speak in a masculine way, asking, ‘What’s wrong with marrying a minor?’ Their thinking is narrow minded,” she said.
If enacted, the law would not only allow child marriages but also strip women of their rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Proponents within the Shia coalition argue that the law aims to protect girls from what they describe as “immoral relationships.” In contrast, human rights advocates and opponents decry the legislation as an effort to further suppress women’s rights, particularly in light of recent youth-led protests against stringent governmental policies.
Human rights organizations warn that this new law would place young girls in jeopardy of experiencing sexual and physical harm, making it easier for them to be removed from educational settings and thus miss critical opportunities for learning. Despite Iraq having prohibited child marriage since the 1950s, a UN survey from 2023 indicates that approximately 28% of girls in the nation were married before reaching the age of 18.
