Iraqi MPs and women’s rights groups have expressed shock and outrage following the passage of a new law that permits the marriage of girls as young as nine years old. The law, passed recently, grants religious authorities the power to decide on family matters, including marriage, divorce, and child custody. It also overturns a long-standing ban on child marriage, which had been in place since the 1950s, raising fears of a severe regression in women’s and children’s rights.
Prominent Iraqi lawyer Mohammed Juma, a leading opponent of the law, condemned the decision, stating, “We have reached the end of women’s rights and the end of children’s rights in Iraq.” Iraqi journalist Saja Hashim also expressed her deep concern, saying, “The fact that clerics have the upper hand in deciding the fate of women is terrifying. I fear everything that will come in my life as a woman.”
Activists warn that the new law could be applied retroactively to ongoing court cases, affecting alimony and custody rights. Raya Faiq, spokesperson for feminist group Coalition 188, described the emotional toll the law has already had, sharing a recording of a woman crying over threats from her husband to take away their daughter unless she relinquished her rights to financial support.
Child marriage remains a serious issue in Iraq, where a 2023 UN survey found that 28% of girls marry before the age of 18. Despite this, the new law permits child marriage according to the sect under which the marriage contract is made. For Shia Muslims, the legal minimum age for marriage is set at nine, while for Sunni Muslims, it is 15.
The law has sparked further division within the government, with some MPs, like Sajjad Salem, condemning it as damaging to Iraq’s reputation, while others, such as Alia Nassif, plan to challenge the decision in the federal court, arguing that the vote took place without the required quorum.
Benin Elias, a journalist and women’s rights advocate, called for resilience, saying, “This is not the time for tears nor surrender to barbaric decisions.”
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