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A proposed amendment to Iraq’s personal status law, which could lower the legal age of consent from 18 to 9, has sparked outrage and concern across the country.
The amendment, spearheaded by dominant Shia Muslim parties within the Iraqi Parliament, has been described as a “Taliban-style rollback” of women’s rights by experts.
If passed, the amendment would not only allow men to marry young girls, but would also deprive women of essential rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance. The proposed change is a stark departure from the 1959 law (Law 188) that transferred family law authority from religious figures to the state judiciary after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy.
“This is the closest this amendment has ever been to passing, and it has more momentum than ever before, primarily due to the Shia parties pushing it,” said Dr. Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at Chatham House. “They are stressing the religious side as a way to regain some of the ideological legitimacy they have lost in recent years.”
The Shia Muslim parties argue that the proposed amendment is in line with a strict interpretation of Islamic law and aims to protect young girls from “immoral relationships.” However, critics see it as a dangerous move that will effectively legalize child marriage and further erode women’s rights.
The proposed amendment has been met with widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and women’s rights groups. The potential impact on women’s lives, particularly young girls, is a cause for serious concern, and many fear a return to a dark era of oppressive laws and social norms.
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