Opponents fear proposed bill could allow girls as young as nine to marry, erode women’s rights and give greater powers to clerics

A draft law in Iraq that would allow the marriage of girls as young as nine has provoked protests across the country, with women’s rights activists saying it would “legalise child rape”.

The Shia religious groups that dominate the political system in Iraq have been pushing to erode women’s rights in the country for more than a decade.

Unlike neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Iraq does not have a system of male guardianship requiring women to have the permission of a husband, father or male guardian to make crucial life choices such as marriage.

However, a new proposal, which passed its first reading in the Iraqi parliament this week, would give religious authorities the power to decide on family affairs, including marriage, divorce and the care of children.

  • cynthorpe@discuss.online
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    1 month ago

    Just anecdotally and not argumentatively, the reason the United States got involved with Iraq in the first place is that they were doing exactly what Russia is doing to Ukraine.

    Unfortunately for Iraq, they were ill prepared to handle the responsibility of establishing a new government and began losing land to extremists like ISIS and the KRG.

    Basically, they got themselves into this mess, but they aren’t entirely to blame for the poor results