Iraq may lower the legal age of marriage for women to 9 years old

On August 9, 2024, according to India's New Delhi Television (NDTV), the Iraqi parliament proposed a bill that has sparked widespread outrage and concern. The bill attempts to lower the legal age of marriage for women to 9 years old. This controversial legislation proposed by the Iraqi Ministry of Justice aims to amend Iraq's Personal Status Law, which currently stipulates a minimum marriage age of 18. The new bill would allow citizens to choose whether family affairs are determined by religious authorities or civil judicial institutions.

If the new bill is passed, girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 could marry, raising concerns about an increase in child marriages and exploitation. Critics believe that this regressive move would undermine decades of progress in promoting women's rights and gender equality. Human rights organizations, women's groups, and civil society activists strongly oppose the bill and warn that it will have serious consequences for the education, health, and well-being of young girls. They believe that child marriage leads to an increase in dropout rates, early pregnancy, and the risk of domestic violence. According to UNICEF, 28% of girls in Iraq are married before the age of 18.

This draft bill was proposed in 2014 and unexpectedly approved by Prime Minister Maliki in February 2014. However, Iraq is set to hold a new parliamentary election in April 2014, and it is expected that the draft will not be formally passed before then. The bill is still under discussion and review and has not yet become formal law.