Iraq to reduce legal marriage age of girls to 9 years

Times of India - A controversial bill to reduce the legal marriage age of girls to 9 and boys to 15 has been introduced in Iraq's parliament. This has caused a lot of concern among human rights groups and women’s organistions.

Currently, the law in Iraq says that people must be at least 18 to get married. However, the new law, proposed by the Iraq justice ministry, would let people choose whether to follow religious rules or the civil court system for family matters.

Critics are worried that this change could reduce women's rights in areas like inheritance, divorce, and child custody. If the law passes, it would allow girls as young as nine and boys as young as 15 to get married. This has raised fears that there will be more child marriages and exploitation of young girls.

Human rights groups and activists are strongly against the bill. They warn that it could have serious negative effects on young girls’ education, health, and overall well-being.

They point out that child marriage often leads to girls dropping out of school, getting pregnant at a young age, and being at a higher risk of domestic violence. According to Unicef, 28 per cent of girls in Iraq are already married before they turn 18.

A researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that passing this law would be a step backwards for the country. Another researcher from the Iraq Women’s Network also opposed the bill, saying that it would give men more control over family issues in a society that is already very conservative.

The new law would reverse changes made in 1959, which took family law decisions away from religious leaders and gave that power to the state courts. The proposed law would allow people to follow religious rules, mostly from Shia and Sunni Islam, but it doesn’t mention other religious groups in Iraq.

Supporters of the bill say it would make Islamic law more consistent and protect young girls from inappropriate relationships. However, opponents argue that this reasoning overlooks the dangers of child marriage. They believe that letting religious leaders decide on marriage could harm the principle of equality under Iraqi law and would allow girls as young as nine to be married, taking away their futures and well-being.

"Girls should be playing and going to school, not getting married," said a researcher, highlighting the importance of protecting the rights and futures of young girls in Iraq.