Bagdad. A draft reform in the Iraqi parliament on legal issues affecting the family raises fears of a rollback of women’s rights and an increase in underage marriages.
The reform bill would allow Iraqis to choose between religious authorities and the state in resolving family cases involving inheritance, divorce or child custody.
Opponents of the law, who have called for a demonstration in Baghdad, fear that the law will abolish the minimum age for marriage for Muslim women, set at 18 under the 1959 law on civil status. Supporters of the reform deny this.
According to UNICEF, 28 percent of Iraqi women are married before the age of 18.
“This amendment leaves a wide scope for male domination in family matters” in a conservative society, notes Amal Kabashi of the Iraqi Women’s Network.
The 1959 law, adopted shortly after the fall of the Iraqi monarchy, transferred jurisdiction over family matters from religious authorities to the state and its judicial system.
The draft amendment was withdrawn by parliament in late July in the face of opposition from many MPs, but was brought up again during the session on 4 August, with the support of conservative Shiite blocs.
The proposed provisions may not be passed, but rights activists are concerned. “We have already fought against them and we will continue to do so,” Kabashi insists.
#Reform #bill #threatens #womens #rights #Iraq
– 2024-08-12 16:56:57
