The Iraqi bill to lower the age of marriage for girls to nine

Politicians and activists are protesting the conservative bill, which would give religious leaders more power over personal affairs

A group of Iraqi men and women protests a proposed law, holding signs and yelling
The proposed amendment to a decades-old law sparked a protest in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on 4 August
(Image credit: Ahmad Al-Rubaye / Contributor / Getty Images)

A proposed amendment to Iraq's family legislation could "hand more power in family matters to clerics" and, alarmingly, "open the door for marriage to be legalised for children as young as nine years old".

Women's rights advocates and their political allies fiercely oppose the proposal, said Middle East Eye. It is backed by Coordination Framework – a coalition made up of conservative, Shia religious factions that have "dominated" Iraqi politics since 2021, said The Guardian.

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