Iraq in Uproar Over Law Allowing Marriage at Age 9: "A Catastrophe for Women's Rights"

Passage of Personal Status Law Amendment
Shiite Coalition Sets Minimum Marriage Age at Nine
Criticism Mounts: "A Catastrophe for the Rights of Women and Girls"

The Iraqi parliament has come under fire after passing a bill that legalizes the marriage of children as young as nine years old.

On January 21 (local time), international media outlets including CNN reported that the Iraqi parliament had passed an amendment to the Personal Status Law that lowers the legal marriage age to nine. According to the reports, the amendment strengthens the authority of Islamic courts over family matters, including divorce and inheritance. In particular, the inclusion of provisions that effectively legalize child marriage has sparked controversy.

In August last year, a protest against a bill allowing the marriage of underage girls took place at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo by AP

Currently, Iraqi law sets the minimum marriage age at 18. However, the amendment allows girls in their early teens to marry, depending on clerical interpretation of Islamic law. For the Shiite majority in Iraq, the minimum marriage age is set at nine, while for Sunnis it is set at fifteen.

Originally, Iraq established the minimum marriage age at 18, rather than following the Shiite interpretation of Islamic law, through the Personal Status Law of 1959, in order to establish protective measures for women. However, critics have pointed out that the passage of the amendment undermines the very foundation of that law.

The amendment to the Personal Status Law was reportedly pushed forward last year by a coalition of Shiite parties. The Shiite coalition had previously attempted to pass similar amendments twice, but both efforts failed due to strong opposition from human rights groups. However, as the coalition currently holds a majority in parliament, it has become difficult to block the bill. The Iraqi parliament consists of 329 seats, but only 25 female lawmakers opposed the legal amendment.

The Shiite coalition has claimed that the purpose of the law is to "protect girls from immoral relationships," but women's and human rights organizations have been actively opposing it. Intisar Al-Mayali, a member of the Iraqi Women's League and a human rights activist, argued, "The passage of the amendment to the Personal Status Law will have catastrophic consequences for the rights of women and girls," adding, "It violates the right to life as children and dismantles protection mechanisms for women regarding divorce, custody, and inheritance."