Iraq proposes to lower the age of marriage for girls from 18 to 9 years

In the Middle Eastern Muslim country of Iraq, the national parliament proposed to lower the age of marriage for women from 18 to 9 years. If this proposal is passed in the national parliament, even elderly people will be able to marry 9-year-old girls and children.

If the proposal becomes law, women will lose the ability to retain custody of their children and divorce their husbands.

The country's opposition parties opposed the proposal. British media The Telegraph reported this news in a report.

According to reports, a proposal has been submitted to the Iraqi National Assembly to amend Law 188, known as the 1959 Charter. According to this law the age of marriage for women is 18. The explanation of the amendment of this charter says that the amendment proposal has been brought in the Parliament to protect women from "religious interpretation" and "immoral relations".

After the fall of the monarchy, the '1959 Charter' or 'Act 188' was introduced, which, in line with the UN Charter, fixed the age of marriage for women at 18. It was the law administered under the State Judiciary from 'Family Law'.

Dr. Renad Mansoor said in a publication of Chathan House that not only Shia Muslims will benefit from this, but everyone will benefit from it.

Meanwhile, Iraq's opposition party leaders have protested this initiative of the government party, saying that if this law is passed in the parliament, women's rights will be lost.

On the other hand, human rights organizations have said that if the proposal is passed by Parliament, young girls will become victims of sexual harassment and physical violence.

According to the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, since the 1950s, 28 percent of women in Iraq have been subjected to child marriage before the age of 18. Religious leaders have taken this initiative mainly due to loopholes in the law.