2024-08-10 12:41:37
Tehran: A new law is set to be introduced in Iraq, which would lower the minimum age of marriage for girls to nine years. The draft of this law has been presented in the Iraqi Parliament.
Conservative Shia parties in the Parliament are pushing for an amendment to the personal law that would allow children under the age of nine to get married. Women’s rights organizations have expressed concern about the bill, calling it a promotion of patriarchy.
The proposed law is an amendment to Law 188 of the Personal Status Law of 1959, which was passed during the Abdul Karim Qasim government and is considered one of the most progressive laws in West Asia regarding women’s rights. The law sets the legal age of marriage at 18 for both men and women and prohibits men from having a second wife.
Preparations for change in the 1959 law
The proposed change to the 1959 law is being pushed by a coalition of conservative Shia Islamist parties, which is the largest bloc in the Iraqi Parliament. The draft bill presented to parliament states that couples must choose between Sunni or Shia sect in all matters of personal status. This change would allow Shia and Sunni endowment offices to decide on marriages instead of courts.
The draft bill also states that the Shia code will be based on the Ja’fari legal system, which allows the marriage of girls aged nine and boys aged fifteen.
This draft bill has been criticized by human rights activists, who argue that it would have a negative impact on the rights and well-being of women and children in Iraq. Some activists believe the bill is an attempt by the government to distract attention from its corruption and shortcomings.