Rights advocates claim that the amendment would increase the number of underage marriages in the nation and restrict women’s rights.
The country’s marriage legislation is about to be amended in Iraq to permit men to wed girls as young as nine. According to The Telegraph, amendments have also been proposed to deny women the rights to inheritance, divorce, and child custody.
Additionally, the law would give residents the option of deciding family matters through the civil judiciary or religious authority.
In an effort to shield females from “immoral relationships,” the conservative administration, which is run by a coalition of Shia parties, hopes to adopt the proposed amendment. On September 16, the law’s second amendment was approved.
According to the research, when it was first introduced in 1959, “Law 188” was considered to be among the most progressive legislation in West Asia. It gave Iraqi families, regardless of their religious denomination, a broad set of guidelines to follow.
According to the coalition administration, the proposed amendment seeks to “protect” young girls and is consistent with a rigorous interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. Despite resistance from Iraqi women’s organizations, the government is anticipated to pass the measure because it has a parliamentary majority.
High rates of child marriage are already common in Iraq, according to UNICEF. By the age of 18, almost 28% of Iraqi girls are married, and it is anticipated that the proposed revisions will make matters worse.
The action is the most recent effort by Shia Islamists to reclaim legitimacy and solidify control, according to Dr. Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, who spoke to The Telegraph.
The outlet cited him as adding, “It’s not all Shia parties, it’s just the specific ones that are empowered and are really pushing it.”
Activists raise alarm
Iraqi human rights experts and campaigners voiced concerns that the proposed reforms would prioritize religion over women’s rights.
Iraq will mimic Islamic regimes in Afghanistan and Iran, where the ultimate leader is a theologian, according to the research.
Religious leaders are permitted to perform child marriages under a legal loophole in the nation, as long as the girl’s father gives his approval. Many child marriages are thought to have resulted from this loophole. Activists are concerned that the new law would legalize these kinds of unions.
According to Human Rights Watch, the amendment would prevent young girls from accessing education and jobs and increase their vulnerability to physical and sexual violence.
