The Iraqi parliament has advanced a controversial bill that would allow Iraqi Shiites to follow the Ja’afari school of jurisprudence, which permits marriage for girls as young as nine and boys at fifteen.
The bill, amending the 1959 Personal Status Law, has passed its first reading and is now subject to further debate and potential approval.
The proposed amendments would enable couples to choose between civil courts and sectarian authorities—either Shia or Sunni endowments—to handle marital affairs. This shift could significantly impact family law, allowing sectarian interpretations to override civil protections currently in place. Critics also fear this change could lead to the legalization of child marriage and deepen sectarian divisions within Iraq.
In response to the bill’s advancement, widespread protests have erupted across the country.
On July 28, demonstrators from the Organisation for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) gathered in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, to protest the proposed changes. Activists, including OWFI president Yanar Mohammed, held signs reading “No to underage marriage” and “The era of female slavery is over.” Mohammed condemned the Coordination Framework, which pushed the bill, accusing them of using “archaic” laws to distract from their failings, such as corruption.
Iraqi MP Aso Feridun has been a vocal critic of the bill, warning that “Children married at this age cannot possibly understand the implications of marriage.” She added that nearly 100 MPs are opposing the bill and are actively working to prevent its passage, though their efforts have yet to succeed.
Human Rights Watch researcher Sarah Sanbar also criticized the bill, stating, “Passing this law would show a country moving backward, not forwards.” Sanbar voiced concerns that the bill could undermine women’s rights and increase child marriages, with UNICEF reporting that 28 percent of girls in Iraq are already married before the age of 18.
Amnesty International’s Iraq researcher Razaw Salihy has called for the bill to be “stopped in its tracks,” warning that it could “close a ring of fire around women and children.” The proposed amendments would transfer authority over marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption from civil courts to sectarian institutions, raising fears of increased sectarian influence and reduced rights.
The bill’s progression has sparked further plans for protests, with activists and opposition MPs preparing for a significant demonstration in Baghdad on August 8, 2024.
