Summary

Proposed amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law could allow girls as young as 9 to marry, sparking outrage from rights groups and survivors like “Batta,” who endured abuse after being forced into marriage at 11.

The changes would shift decision-making power to clerics, undermining existing protections for women and children established in 1959.

Supporters claim the amendments promote family values, but critics call them a violation of children’s rights and a step toward legalized child abuse.

Activists and lawmakers are working to block the controversial proposal.