A controversial bill seeking to reduce the legal marriage age for girls to 9 and boys to 15 has sparked outrage and protests in Iraq. The bill proposed to amend the Personal Status Law would allow Iraqis to choose either the Shiite or Sunni religious sect's rules at the time of marriage to govern all personal status-related matters in their marriage.
Under the Personal Status Law, the current legal marriage age is 18 years. Once the bill gets passed, it is widely feared that the legal age also would be reduced.
Protesters held demonstrations across seven Iraqi provinces on Thursday against the controversial bill. Protests erupted in several regions including Baghdad, Basra, Diwaniyah, Kirkuk and Dhi Qar.
Several activists opined that the amendment violated human rights, especially women's rights. It also questions women's and girls' inheritance rights.
The bill was introduced by independent MP Raed al-Maliki, who was also responsible for the controversial amendments to the country's anti-prostitution law that criminalised any practice of homosexuality and sex-reassignment surgeries earlier this year.
"Passing this would show a country moving backwards, not forwards," Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Sarah Sanbar told AFP.
For ages, child marriages have been a concern in Iraq. Many marriages in Iraq are unregistered, conducted by religious leaders and not legally valid.
The controversial bill was withdrawn in July after facing huge backlash, however, it was re-introduced in August.