Proposed amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law, which would permit child marriage, have raised substantial international concerns. Amnesty International has urged Iraqi lawmakers to reconsider these changes, highlighting potential violations of women’s and girls’ rights. The amendments, if enacted, would allow marriages for girls as young as nine, a move criticized for further entrenching gender discrimination and contravening international agreements like the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The international community, including UN Special Rapporteurs, has expressed grave concerns, noting that besides legitimizing child marriage, the amendments could also affect women’s rights in areas such as inheritance, custody, and divorce. Articles 2 and 10 of the Personal Status Law would be revised under the proposed law, impacting the current legal framework established in 1959, which mandates equality and marriage registration among adults of sound mind aged 18 and older.
The legislative proposal, introduced in August and having advanced through a second reading in September, has provoked widespread protests across Iraq. There has been significant opposition from civil society and women’s groups within the country. The impending legislative vote will determine the fate of this contentious proposal.
For further details on these developments, please consult the original report.