Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 10:55am on 10 Nov 2024,Sunday International
Iraq's government, led by a coalition of Shia parties, is pushing an amendment to the marriage law that would allow men to marry girls as young as nine, sparking outrage among rights activists. Proposed changes also strip women of divorce, child custody, and inheritance rights, raising concerns about increased child marriages. Activists warn this will worsen Iraq’s already high child marriage rate—28% of girls are wed by 18. While the government argues the amendment aligns with strict Islamic Sharia law to "protect" girls, critics liken it to Islamic regimes in Afghanistan and Iran, where women’s rights are severely limited.
