Iraq is set to lower the legal age of consent from 18 to 9, allowing men to marry very young girls and sparking outrage among activists.
Iraq’s parliament, dominated by a coalition of conservative Shiite Muslim parties, is set to vote on an amendment that would repeal the country’s “personal status law.”
This legislation, also known as Law 188, was touted as one of the most progressive in the Middle East when it was introduced in 1959. It provides a set of general rules that govern the affairs of Iraqi families, regardless of their religious affiliation.
In addition to lowering the legal age of marriage from 18 to 9, the amendment would also strip women of their rights to divorce, child custody and inheritance.
Child marriage puts girls at increased risk of sexual and physical violence, as well as adverse consequences for their physical and mental health, and limits their access to education and employment opportunities.
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“This law legalizes rape”
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 28% of girls in Iraq are married before the age of 18. And according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, 22% of unregistered marriages involve girls under 14.
Raya Faiq, coordinator of a coalition opposed to this bill, spoke to the Guardian: “It is a disaster for women. This law legalizes child rape.”
This is not the first time that Shiite parties in Iraq have wanted to change the personal status law, but their attempts failed in 2014 and 2017, largely thanks to opposition from Iraqi women.
Worldwide, the minimum age of sexual consent is set at 16 in the United Kingdom and Japan, 15 in France, 12 in Angola, 13 in Argentina and 14 in Germany and China.
In Botswana, the age of consent is 16 for women and 14 for men. In Mexico, which is a Federal Republic, the age ranges from 12 to 18 years.
Sierra Leone bans underage marriage
Belgium
