A proposed bill in Iraq’s parliament has caused alarm among rights advocates due to its potential to erode women’s rights and increase underage marriage in the country’s deeply patriarchal society.
The bill would grant citizens the choice between religious authorities and the civil judiciary to address family matters. Opponents are concerned that this could significantly reduce rights regarding inheritance, divorce, and child custody, according to Arab News.
The proposed amendment in Iraq has raised concerns about its potential impact on the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry. The current law, set in the 1959 Personal Status Law, establishes the minimum age for marriage at 18. Still, some lawmakers supporting the changes deny that the amendment would effectively eliminate this provision.
UNICEF reports that 28 percent of girls in Iraq are already married before the age of 18, highlighting the prevalence of underage marriage in the country. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar commented that passing this law would signify a regressive step for the government rather than progress.
Amal Kabashi, representing the Iraq Women’s Network advocacy group, expressed concerns that the proposed amendment could further empower male dominance over family matters in an already conservative society.
Activists have been organizing demonstrations against the proposed changes and plan to protest again in Baghdad. The 1959 legislation, enacted shortly after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, transferred the authority to make decisions on family affairs from religious bodies to the state and its judiciary.
However, the proposed amendment, supported by conservative Shiite Muslim deputies, could potentially weaken this transfer of authority and allow the enforcement of religious rules, particularly those of the Shiite and Sunni Muslim denominations. The proposed amendment in Iraq has raised concerns about its potential impact on the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry.
The current law, set in the 1959 Personal Status Law, establishes the minimum age for marriage at 18, but some lawmakers supporting the changes deny that the amendment would effectively eliminate this provision.
UNICEF reports that 28 percent of girls in Iraq are already married before the age of 18, highlighting the prevalence of underage marriage in the country. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar commented that passing this law would signify a regressive step for the government rather than progress.
Amal Kabashi, representing the Iraq Women’s Network advocacy group, expressed concerns that the proposed amendment could further empower male dominance over family matters in an already conservative society.
Activists have been organizing demonstrations against the proposed changes and plan to protest again in Baghdad. The 1959 legislation, enacted shortly after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, transferred the authority to make decisions on family affairs from religious bodies to the state and its judiciary.
However, the proposed amendment, supported by conservative Shiite Muslim deputies, could potentially weaken this transfer of authority and allow the enforcement of religious rules, particularly those of the Shiite and Sunni Muslim denominations. The proposed amendment in Iraq has raised concerns about its potential impact on the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry. The current law, set in the 1959 Personal Status Law, establishes the minimum age for marriage at 18. Still, some lawmakers supporting the changes deny that the amendment would effectively eliminate this provision.
UNICEF reports that 28 percent of girls in Iraq are already married before the age of 18, highlighting the prevalence of underage marriage in the country. Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar commented that passing this law would signify a regressive step for the government rather than progress.
Amal Kabashi, representing the Iraq Women’s Network advocacy group, expressed concerns that the proposed amendment could further empower male dominance over family matters in an already conservative society.
Activists have been organizing demonstrations against the proposed changes and plan to protest again in Baghdad. The 1959 legislation, enacted shortly after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, transferred the authority to make decisions on family affairs from religious bodies to the state and its judiciary. However, the proposed amendment, supported by conservative Shiite Muslim deputies, could potentially weaken this transfer of authority and allow the enforcement of religious rules, particularly those of the Shiite and Sunni Muslim denominations.
