Bill introduced in Iraq parliament to lower marriage age for girls to 9 years
10 Aug 2024 10:07 AM GMT
Protesters gather to demonstrate against a proposed law to permit underage female marriage in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
A controversial bill that proposes to lower the age for marriage for both women and men has been introduced in the Iraq parliament prompting widespread opposition from Human Rights groups and the public alike.
The bill proposes 9 years for girls and 15 years for boys as the legal age to get married. It also allows the public to choose either religious authorities or civil judiciary to adjudicate family affairs. The proposed move was also criticised and opposed as it can undermine the legal process to decide inheritance, divorce and other related matters.
Currently, the legal age to get married in Iraq is 18 years.
The protests in Iraq had begun even before the introduction of the bill, earlier this year demonstrators, who gathered at Tahrir Square, displayed placards that read "No to Marriage of minors" and "The era of female slaves is over."
The UNICEF too had raised concerns over Iraq's child marriage problem. According to its data, more than 28 percent of women in the country get married before the age of 18, while 7 percent of women get married before 15 years.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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