A number of civil society organizations, women's rights advocates and media institutions said in a statement that this year, International Women's Day in Iraq has a different weight, which is "full of anxiety and uncertainty for women and girls across the country.
“The recent passage of controversial amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law has sparked deep concern, raising serious questions about women’s rights, child marriage, and the broader rule of law,” says the joint statement by the partners of Hawlatibwn (Citizenship) led by Wadi, Iraqi-German Organization, on March 8, International Women’s Day.
The recent passage of controversial amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law has sparked deep concern
“These amendments mean that the legal marriage age for girls will now be determined by their religious affiliation and sect. In some cases, this could be as young as nine years old, while for others, it may be 15,” the statement added.
“This shift moves away from a unified legal standard, creating an unequal system that leaves thousands of girls vulnerable to child marriage,” while the statement calls for “Ensuring consistent legal protections for all women and girls is essential to safeguarding their rights and future.”
On January 21, the Iraqi parliament voted on the amendments to the Personal Status Law. The Iraqi Gazette published in its issue No. 4814 dated February 17, 2025 the text of the amendment to Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959, thus entering into immediate effect.
According to the amendment, the Scientific Council is committed to ensuring that when drafting the code of Sharia rulings in personal status matters, it does not stipulate a reduction in the age of marriage and does not allow anything that contradicts what is stipulated in Article 8 of the Personal Status Law.
Under this paragraph of the new amendment, girls at the age of nine are not allowed to marry.
“International and national civil society organizations are working tirelessly to assess the impact of these amendments, particularly their role in undermining legal protections against violations such as child marriage,” the statement elaborates.
“The erosion of legal safeguards not only threatens individual rights, but also weakens the judiciary’s authority as a defender of justice. These changes risk creating deep and lasting social injustices for women and girls in Iraq.”
Citizenship is a new project supported by Wadi, aims to introduce new initiatives and address important societal challenges such as environmental degradation, gender-based violence GBV, all forms of violence in schools, lack of access to health care and limited information on women's legal rights.
Last year, the European Parliament called for an immediate and complete rejection for the amendments of the Personal Status Law, stating it violates the basic rights of women, hurts the reputation of Iraq which might lead to halting foreign aids.
The demands came within the framework of a decision issued on October 10, 2024 regarding the proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law in Iraq No. 188 of 1959, which sparked a wave of protests by organizations defending women's rights, including the "188 Alliance", which includes a number of civil society organizations and women's rights activists.
The statement highlights concern that early marriage may result in gender based violence.
“Beyond legal concerns, an increase in child marriage is likely to fuel further gender-based violence, including honor killings and domestic abuse. Meanwhile, the ongoing global political and economic climate has made securing funding for civil society efforts even more difficult, limiting the ability of organizations to respond effectively.”
An increase in child marriage is likely to fuel further gender-based violence, including honor killings and domestic abuse
“Now more than ever, the people of Iraq—along with civil society organizations—must stand together to defend fundamental rights and protect the most vulnerable,” the statement concluded. “The struggle for justice, equality, and human dignity must continue, undeterred.”
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch expressed their concern about this step and published two reports protesting the amendment to the Personal Status Law, especially with regard to the marriage of girls at the age of nine.
According to a report issued by the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq, early marriage is one of the main reasons behind the high divorce rates, while statistics from the United Nations showed that 28% of Iraqi girls marry before they reach the age of eighteen, and statistics from the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) revealed that 22% of unregistered marriages are for girls under the age of 14.
This comes at a time when the United Nations warned that girls who are forced to marry before the age of 18 are more vulnerable to violence, threats and health problems.
