As per the 1959 Personal Status Law, the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry is said to be 18, but the new bill may scrap this law encouraging child marriage (Image: X @rahuljain)
The Iraqi parliament has recently passed a bill that is seen as a major setback for women’s rights, as it potentially promotes underage marriage. According to reports, there are concerns that this bill could undermine the 1959 Personal Status Law. Activists have raised alarm over the possible implications of the bill, and various protests and criticism over social media have been taking place fearing that it could lead to increased injustice against women in a society that is deeply entrenched in patriarchal traditions.
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As per the 1959 Personal Status Law, the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry is said to be 18, but the new bill may scrap this law encouraging child marriage allowing citizens to make religious authorities or the civil judiciary interfere in family matters.
It was reportedly said that at least 28 per cent of girls in Iraq had been married before the age of 18 according to the UNICEF data. The new bill is a whack on women’s rights which is possibly set to be a huge leeway for male dominance over family affairs in an already hidebound community. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar stated that the new bill sparks fear that it would roll back women’s rights and pull back the country from going forward.
@AFP on an Iraqi bill that would allow citizens to choose either religious authorities or the civil judiciary to decide on family affairs.
Critics fear it would roll back women’s rights and allow underage marriage with@razsalayi@SarahSanbar@zalalihttps://t.co/Y5R6o7ZIfa— Roba El Husseini ربى (@RobaHusseini) August 8, 2024
Several activists have demonstrated against the bill in Baghdad. The 1959 law was passed after the Iraqi monarch collapsed bestowing the right to interfere with the judiciary. The new bill is again giving a chance to the religious authorities who are deeply ingrained in conservative beliefs and practices.
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The religious leaders in Iraq deliberately conduct child marriages which are unregistered and have no judiciary intervention violating the state’s law as per HRW. However, some argue that according to religious belief, historically, people have witnessed girl children getting married as Aysha was married to Prophet Muhammed at the age of nine.
Passing this amendment in Iraq would be throwing a fireball at women and children, no matter how it is fabricated and dressed up, the bill is an obvious threat, Amnesty International’s Iraq researcher Razaw Salihy stated. Earlier on Sunday, the Iraqi parliament held the first reading of the bill which resulted in massive criticism and protests and the two other readings are left to bind the bill leaving it for further discussions and debates.
