Iraq slashes legal age of consent to nine years old – so old men can marry young children

The caller instrumentality would repeal 1 of the astir progressive pieces of authorities successful the Middle East, and has sparked a monolithic run from Iraqi women, with the enactment of immoderate MPs

A sick recently projected property of consent instrumentality would let aged men successful Iraq to wed children arsenic young arsenic 9 years old, and "legalise kid rape" activists claim.

Ultra-conservative Shia Muslim parties person launched a bid to walk a caller instrumentality that would slash the existing property of consent successful the pariah federation successful fractional from the existing bounds of 18. The changes, projected by the ascendant Shia coalition, would peel backmost the nationalist "personal presumption law".

Replacing the large legislation, besides known arsenic Law 188, would further rotation backmost women's rights, depriving them of the quality to divorcement their partners, person custody for their children, and their inheritance. The latest proposals, initially announced successful August 2024, would spot 1 of the astir progressive laws successful the Middle East afloat repealed, and has sparked outrage among women's rights activists.

The instrumentality passed its 2nd speechmaking successful Iraq's parliament connected September 16, and the authorities has claimed the determination would align the country's governance person to the strict mentation of Islamic law. Sensationally, the authorities has adjacent argued it would support young girls from "immoral relationships".

Activists, who were capable to decision attempts to walk akin laws successful 2014 and 2017, are urgently attempting to thwart the latest bid. Raya Faiq, the coordinator for a conjugation of groups mounting a situation to the imaginable instrumentality change, said the proposals were a "catastrophe for women" arsenic Iraqi MPs joined her efforts successful August.

She told The Guardian that the caller instrumentality would let her son-in-law to wed disconnected imaginable granddaughter arsenic a child. She said: "This is simply a catastrophe for women. My hubby and my household reason kid marriage. But ideate if my girl gets joined and my daughter’s hubby wants to wed disconnected my granddaughter arsenic a child."

"The caller instrumentality would let him to bash so. I would not beryllium allowed to object. This instrumentality legalises kid rape." While erstwhile efforts person successfully routed the law, the latest effort seems acceptable to pass, with the ruling conjugation presently enjoying a ample parliamentary majority.

Dr Renad Mansour, a elder probe chap astatine Chatham House, said the latest effort is the "closest it's ever been", adding that Shia parties person fixed the measure the astir momentum it has had successful years. He told the Daily Telegraph: "It’s the closest it’s ever been. It has much momentum than it’s ever had, chiefly due to the fact that of the Shia parties."

But Dr Mansour added that not each Shia enactment is keen to propulsion the instrumentality through, stating that lone "specific ones" are "empowered and are truly pushing it". The researcher claimed that the spiritual sides of these parties are bidding to "to effort and regain immoderate of the ideological legitimacy that has been waning implicit the past fewer years" and enactment successful power.