The UK is calling on Iraqi parliamentarians to reject proposed changes to the Personal Status law that would have the effect of reducing the legal marriage age in Iraq to nine years old.
The draft amendments are due to be discussed by Parliament in the coming weeks.
If the amendments are approved, religious groups in Iraq would be able to determine their own legal parameters for marriage, divorce, and other family issues.
Under current Iraqi law the legal age for marriage is eighteen years old, or fifteen years old with the consent of parents or guardians.
On 14 November a delegation from the British Embassy set out UK concerns at a roundtable discussion on the Personal Status Law hosted by the Iraqi Bar Association.
The event was attended by parliamentarians from a cross-section of parties including State of Law, Goran and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, as well as representatives from government, NGOs, media and the international community.
A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Baghdad said:
“Allowing different groups to legislate according to their own jurisprudence would effectively reduce the marriage age for some girls in Iraq to nine years old. This would be a backward step for the rights of women and girls.
It would damage both national prosperity – because women’s social, educational and economic development is a proven factor in driving forward national development – and risk exacerbating sectarian divisions. The UK therefore calls on Parliament to reject these amendments.”
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