In Iraq, a new law could legalize marriage for children as young as nine years old. The proposed amendment to Iraq’s personal status law, would allow clerics of Muslim sects to govern marriage contracts. The bill contradicts national law in Iraq and would allow religious men to enforce illegal marriages and force women under the age of 18 to live with their in-laws. In addition, some religious sect don’t allow equal rights in terms of marriage and inheritance and the amendment states that leaders in individual sects and religious tenets will be have control over these marriage contracts. The current legal age for marriage in Iraq is 18 but a judge can permit girls as young as 15 to marry in “urgent” cases. The amendment states: “It is permitted to conduct a marriage contract for the followers of the Sunni and Shia sects, according to their faith, by those who are permitted to conduct such contracts as directed by the jurists of that faith.” 40 parliamentarians have already signed the amendment. This amendment is absolutely appalling. It sets Iraqi women’s rights back half a century. Iraqi citizens are already extremely religious and sects will follow their clerics. With women’s situations in Iraq such as forced marriages, sexual abuse, etc. the consequences of this amendment will truly be catastrophic for women and their rights.
