Iraq is ready to pass legal amendments to the country’s marriage laws which allow men to marry girls as young as nine. Legal changes have also been proposed to resist women of some basic and necessary rights such as child custody, divorce, and inheritance according to recent reports. The bill would also give an option to choose either religious authorities or civil judiciary to decide on family matters.
Iraq Laws On Women’s Immoral Relationships
A coalition of Shia parties led conservative government wants to pass the proposed amendment to protect girls from immoral relationships. The second amendment to the law was passed on September 16. According to the research, “Law 188” was considered one of the most progressive laws in West Asia when it was introduced in 1959. It established an overarching set of norms to regulate Iraqi households, regardless of religious affiliation.
According to the coalition government, this law conforms with the rules of Islamic Sharia law and aims to protect young girls. The administration, with a legislative majority, is set to pass the measure despite objections from Iraqi women’s groups.
According to UNICEF, child marriage rates are already high in Iraq. Approximately 28% of Iraqi girls marry before the age of 18, and the proposed revisions are expected to worsen the situation. Dr Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, told The Telegraph that the move is Shia Islamists’ latest attempt to consolidate power and reclaim credibility. “It’s not all Shia parties, it’s just the specific ones that are empowered and are really pushing it. Stressing the religious side is a way for them to try and regain some of the ideological legitimacy that has been waning over the last few years,” he said.
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Activists Are Concerned
Human rights advocates and scholars in Iraq expressed concerns that the proposed modifications would eliminate women’s rights and prioritize religion.
The report also stated that Iraq would mirror Islamic regimes like Afghanistan and Iran, where a theologist serves as the country’s top leader.
A loophole in the country’s law permits religious leaders to perform child marriages as long as the girl’s father consents. This loophole is thought to have contributed to a high frequency of child marriages. Activists fear that the new law will make such weddings legal.
FI Picture Credits: Daily Mail