Iraq ready to lower the age of sexual consent from 18 to 9 years: “A devastating setback for women and girls”, warns an NGO

The NGO Human Rights Watch is sounding the alarm: Iraq could soon lower the legal age of sexual consent from 18 to 9 years. A bill is currently being examined by Parliament since its first reading in August. According to the NGO, this revision would significantly threaten the rights of women and girls in Iraq, where already 28% of young girls are married before they come of age, according to the UNICEF report in 2023.

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If this bill is adopted, the repercussions would be immediate: not only would child marriage be legalized, but women would also be limited in their ability to divorce and inherit, in direct contradiction with international rights guaranteeing the protection of girls and women. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, 22% of unregistered marriages involve girls under 14 years old.

Similar attempts in 2014 and 2017

Human Rights Watch also points to the inevitable increase in physical and sexual violence, affecting the health of young girls, while hindering their access to education or the job market.

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“Adoption of this bill by the Iraqi Parliament would be a devastating setback for Iraqi women and girls,” said Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Girls should be able to go to school or play in the playground, instead of being forced to wear a wedding dress.”

Human rights activists and organizations in Iraq are stepping up efforts to counter this bill, calling for its abandonment. This is not the first attempt by the Iraqi Parliament: similar initiatives failed in 2014 and 2017, aiming to modify the personal status law to reduce the age of consent.