Iraq Passes Law Potentially Allowing Child Marriage

Published JAN 22 2025

Story

Above: Women attend a demonstration in support of a proposed parliamentary amendment to the Personal Status Law in Baghdad on Sept. 15, 2024. Image credit: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

Iraq's parliament passed significant amendments to the country's 1959 Personal Status Law on Tuesday, granting Islamic courts greater jurisdiction over family issues including marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
CNN
The amendments allow clerics to rule on marriages according to their interpretation of Islamic law, potentially permitting marriage at age 15 with judicial approval, compared to the previous minimum age of 18 in most cases.
The National News
The controversial legislation was passed alongside two other significant laws: a general amnesty law benefiting Sunni detainees and those involved in corruption cases, and a land restitution law addressing Kurdish territorial claims.
guardian
The parliamentary session concluded with allegations of procedural violations, as half of the lawmakers present reportedly did not vote, breaking the legal quorum according to anonymous parliamentary officials.
CNN
The new law requires Muslim couples to choose either the Sunni or Shia sect when concluding marriage contracts, with religious authorities given four months to establish community-specific regulations.
Middle East Eye
The legislation has sparked widespread protests and opposition from women's rights groups, who argue it undermines protections established in the original 1959 law and threatens to deepen sectarian divisions in Iraqi society.
The New Arab

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The law effectively dismantles decades of progress in women's rights and child protection, potentially legitimizing child marriage and weakening women's legal protections in divorce and inheritance matters. The changes will fragment Iraqi society along sectarian lines and strip away fundamental human rights protections that Iraqi women gained in modern times. The legislation represents a dangerous precedent that prioritizes religious jurisprudence over civil rights.

guardian

Narrative B

Though these new laws are surely controversial, it is notable that after months of deadlock the Iraqi parliament was able to make some progress and unite the country's disparate political factions. Kurds and Turkmen will receive land that was confiscated by the former Ba'athist regime and the Sunni community will receive amnesties that will free many who were imprisoned by the Shiite-dominated government.