BAGHDAD — On Tuesday, Iraq’s parliament enacted three controversial laws, one of which introduces amendments to the country’s personal status legislation, a move critics say effectively supports child marriage.
The amendments significantly expand the power of Islamic courts to handle family-related issues, such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Advocates for women’s rights are deeply concerned that these changes undermine Iraq’s 1959 Personal Status Law, which created a unified family law framework equipped with protections for women.
Currently, Iraq’s laws stipulate that 18 is the minimum marriage age in most situations. The new amendments, however, would permit clerics to make decisions based on their interpretation of Islamic law, which some believe could lead to allowing girls as young as nine to be married, particularly under the Jaafari school of Islamic law that is prevalent among many Shiite clerics in Iraq.
Supporters of the amendments, mainly conservative Shiite lawmakers, argue that these changes are necessary for aligning the legal framework with Islamic principles while reducing Western cultural influence.
In addition to the personal status law amendments, the parliament passed a general amnesty law that is perceived as benefiting Sunni detainees as well as potentially shielding individuals involved in corruption and embezzlement activities. Another law aimed at addressing Kurdish territorial claims also received approval from the assembly.
Intisar al-Mayali, a human rights advocate and representative of the Iraqi Women’s League, expressed grave concerns about the amendments to the civil status law. She stated that these changes will have “disastrous effects” on the rights of women and girls, particularly concerning the harmful practice of child marriage. She emphasized that this undermines children’s rights and hampers existing protections around divorce, custody, and inheritance for women.
The parliamentary session concluded in turmoil, with multiple accusations of procedural breaches. According to an anonymous parliamentary official, who spoke privately due to the sensitivity of the matter, many lawmakers did not participate in the vote, which breached legal quorum requirements. Some members were reportedly seen protesting vocally and even climbing onto the podium during the chaos.
After the session, several legislators raised concerns about how the voting was conducted, as all three contentious laws, each backed by different political blocs, were voted on simultaneously. Raid al Maliki, an independent MP, commented on the civil status law, expressing strong support for it, but he noted that combining it with other laws for a joint vote could lead to a legal challenge in the Federal Court.
Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani later praised the passage of the laws as a crucial advancement in promoting justice and regulating the daily lives of Iraqi citizens.
On the same day, a significant security incident occurred, as reported by an anonymous official. At least three officers, including the national security chief from the al-Tarmiyah district situated north of Baghdad, lost their lives in an explosion at an ammunition depot. The explosion happened during a coordinated operation by Iraqi army forces and the national security service following intelligence about Islamic State group activities in the area. Four others were also reported injured in the incident.
