Iraq passes law that could legalize child marriage: What to know
The controversial amendments were passed alongside laws on land disputes and amnesty for some crimes.
The Iraqi parliament passed amendments to the country’s personal status law on Tuesday that could legalize child marriage, prompting an outcry.
What happened: The amendments pertain to Iraq’s 1959 personal status law. The law stipulates, among other things, that marriage requires an age of at least 18. Individuals as young as 15 can marry only under certain conditions, including the approval of a judge, per the text of the law.
The amendments to the law passed on Tuesday would allow religious authorities to dictate personal status matters such as marriage. The move was largely supported by members of Shiite parties in the parliament, according to reports.
A parliamentary official told the Associated Press that half of the lawmakers present in Tuesday’s session did not vote, meaning the passage of the laws broke the body’s legal quorum.
