Baghdad: The government has surprised everyone by introducing a strange bill in the Iraqi Parliament. Iraq has now introduced a proposal to approve the marriage of girls of just 9 years of age in its country. If it is passed, anyone will be able to marry 9-year-old girls there. This proposed bill has caused widespread outrage and concern, as it has a provision to reduce the legal age of marriage of girls to just 9 years.
According to a news from NDTV, it has been introduced by the Ministry of Justice of Iraq. This controversial law aims to amend the country law, which currently sets a minimum age of 18 years for marriage. This bill will allow citizens to choose between religious authorities or civil judiciary to decide on family matters. If passed, the bill will allow girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 to marry, raising the risk of child marriage and exploitation.
This is why it is being opposed
Critics argue that the move will undermine decades of progress in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. Human rights organizations, women’s groups and civil society activists have strongly opposed the bill, warning of dire consequences for the education, health and well-being of young girls. They argue that child marriage increases school dropout rates, early pregnancy and increases the risk of domestic violence. According to UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, 28 percent of girls in Iraq are married before the age of 18. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar said, “The passage of this law will show that the country is going backwards, not forward.”
