Symbolic photo.
Baghdad: The government has surprised everyone by introducing a strange bill in the Iraqi parliament. Iraq has now presented a proposal to approve the marriage of girls of only 9 years of age in its country. If it is passed, then 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 report by NDTV, it has been introduced by Iraq’s Ministry of Justice. This controversial law aims to amend the country’s law, which currently sets a minimum age of 18 years for marriage. This bill will allow citizens to choose between religious authorities or the civil judiciary to decide on family matters. If passed, this bill will allow girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 to get married, which will increase the possibility of child marriage and abuse.
So there is opposition
Critics argue the move will undermine decades of progress in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. Human rights organisations, 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 child marriage leads to higher school dropout rates, early pregnancy and an increased risk of domestic violence. According to the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF, 28 percent of girls in Iraq are married before the age of 18. “The passage of this law will mark a country going backwards, not forward,” said Sarah Sanbar, a researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
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