Plan International condemns Iraq’s legislation enabling child marriage
23 January 2025Plan International calls on the Iraqi government to reconsider amendments to its Personal Status Law and to fulfil its obligations under international human rights treaties.
We express deep concern over the adoption of amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law, which will, in effect, pave the way for child, early, and forced marriage and unions (CEFMU).
The proposed changes, passed by Iraq’s Parliament on 21 January 2025, would allow individuals to decide if their marriage is handled by civil courts or religious authorities. While Iraqi law currently sets the minimum age of marriage at 18, this new legislation could see girls as young as 9 years old to be married, based on certain interpretations of Islamic law.
The recent amendments grant expanded powers to clerics and religious courts to decide family matters, including marriage, divorce and inheritance.
Child marriage violates human rights
“These deeply concerning amendments risk legitimising child marriage and reinforcing social norms that deny girls their rights and autonomy,” said Bhagyashri Dengle, Regional Director at Plan International in Asia and the Pacific.
“We demand that all governments adopt and enforce laws that protect children – especially girls – from the harmful impacts of early marriage.”
Bhagyashri Dengle, Regional Director at Plan International in Asia and the Pacific
“Child marriage is a grave violation of human rights that robs girls of their childhood. It jeopardises their health, halts their education, violates their sexual and reproductive rights and denies them the chance to have a say in their own futures. Girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience violence, abuse and forced sexual relations, continuing the cycles of harm that have impacted countless generations of women and girls.
“Against a backdrop of international calls for the minimum legal age of marriage to be set at least at 18, Iraq’s current legal stance drastically undermines global commitments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which aims to eliminate CEFMU by 2030”.
Governments must support girls’ rights
We call on the Iraqi government to reconsider this harmful legislation and to fulfil its obligations under international human rights treaties. We urge the government to ensure that national laws setting the minimum age of marriage at 18 are upheld and take precedence over religious, customary or traditional norms.
“We demand that all governments adopt and enforce laws that protect children – especially girls – from the harmful impacts of early marriage, to build a safer and more equal world for all,” Dengle stated.
We remain committed to advocating for the rights of girls and young women worldwide and urges global leaders to stand united against harmful practices like child marriage.
Categories: Protection from violence, Sexual and reproductive health and rights
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