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No to Child Marriage and Sectarian Division in Iraq’s Personal Status Law 

PAX is deeply concerned about the recent amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law.  

Amidst the broader anti-gender backlash since 2023 that has targeted and attacked women’s rights organizations and activists, these changes risk a severe regression of women’s rights and the work done by the women’s movement in Iraq, by empowering religious courts to apply their interpretations of Islamic law for family matters. This could pave the way for child marriage depriving them of their education and increasing their risk of sexual and physical abuse. The law undermines legal safeguards that protect women’s right to divorce, custody and inheritance.  

The amendments, which were first proposed in August 2024, have sparked widespread protest from the women’s movement in Iraq, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens and activists across Iraq since. This week, with half of the MPs failing to vote, the parliamentary session was further marred by procedural violations, leaving the legal legitimacy of the decision in question. As noted by Alliance 188, a network of women activists and rights organization’s working against these amendments, the ruling powers used the inclusion of other laws as leverage to pressure MPs and political blocs, pushing this package through despite substantial opposition to its contents, in a brazen attempt to remain in power. 

We stand firmly with Iraqi civil society and Alliance 188 in calling for the immediate revocation of these amendments. By opening the door to legalising child marriage, it greatly endangers and violates women and girls’ lives and bodies and has the potential to impact generations to come. We cannot let this threat stand.  

We support the tireless efforts of the women’s movement in Iraq to reject these amendments and demand the fundamental human rights of women and minors. We call on the Iraqi government to uphold their rights and safeguard their futures by rejecting the amendments and ensuring that family law remains grounded in principles of equality, justice, and human dignity. 

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