Iraq is set to pass legal amendments to the country's marriage law that allows men to marry girls as young as nine. Amendments have also been proposed to deprive women of the right to divorce, child custody and inheritance, reported The Telegraph. The bill would also allow citizens to choose either religious authorities or the civil judiciary to decide on family affairs. The second amendment to the law was passed on September It provided an overarching set of rules to govern Iraqi families, irrespective of their religious sect.
The government, with parliamentary majority, is expected to push through the legislation despite opposition from Iraqi women groups. Dr Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at Chatham House told The Telegraph that the move is the latest attempt by Shia Islamists to consolidate power and regain legitimacy.
Human rights activists and experts in Iraq expressed fears that the proposed amendments would erase women rights and give primacy to religion.
The report also noted that Iraq would resemble Islamic regimes in Afghanistan and Iran, where a theologist serves as the country's supreme leader. A loophole in the country's law allows religious leaders to officiate child marriages, provided they are carried out with the consent of the girl's father.
This loophole is believed to have led to a large number of child marriages. Activists fear that the new law would allow such marriages to be legalised. Human Rights Watch said the amendment would put young girls at increased risk of sexual and physical violence, and also deny access to education and employment. By HT News Desk.
