There is a lot of uproar these days over the bill presented in the Iraqi parliament. This bill proposes to reduce the minimum age for marriage of girls to 9 years. This law has been proposed in the parliament by the Iraqi law ministry. Currently, the minimum age for marriage of women in Iraq is 18 years. This bill also provides that any person can choose whether his/her family matters will be decided by the religious authority or the court.
Critics of this bill say that it will violate many rights including inheritance, divorce and custody of children. If this bill is passed, girls can be married at the age of 9 and boys at the age of 15. In such a situation, people are also afraid that this will increase the prevalence of child marriage. This will be a big setback for the organizations that have been fighting for women and child rights for many years.
Human rights organizations, women’s organizations and civil society activists are opposing this. They say that this will have a bad effect on education, health and society. Child marriage will weaken school education, while it will increase cases of early pregnancy and domestic violence. Let us tell you that UNICEF data says that even now 28 percent of the population in Iraq gets married before the age of 18.
Amal Kabashi of Iraq Women Network says that Iraq already has a male-dominated society and this will further violate the rights of women and increase atrocities against them. Through this bill, the law of 1959 will be amended. It has been argued that this law is being made to protect girls from immoral relationships. It is being said that this amendment is necessary to maintain the rules of Islam.
