Iraqis overwhelmingly oppose plan to allow children as young as nine to marry

More than 73% of respondents strongly opposed to changes that would legalise child marriage

Iraqi women demonstrate against underage marriage in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. Rights advocates say a bill introduced to Iraq's parliament would roll back women's rights and increase underage marriage in the deeply patriarchal society. AFPShow less

A public-opinion poll which surveyed more than 61,000 Iraqis across the country has shown a significant opposition to the controversial proposed amendments to the country’s Personal Status Law, which allows reliance on religious interpretations instead of current laws.

The changes supported by Islamist parties inside the Parliament would allow girls as young as nine to be married and strip women of many of their divorce and inheritance rights.

The results of the poll, announced on Sunday, was conducted by Iraq Polling Team NGO and ran from August 13 to August 15. It indicated that 73.2 per cent of Iraqis expressed “strong opposition” to the amendments to the Personal Status Law that has been in place since 1959.

In contrast, only 23.8 per cent of those surveyed expressed strong support for the changes, while 3.1 per cent remained indifferent to the matter.

On August 4, the parliament completed the first reading of the bill and will have two more readings and a debate before deciding whether to vote it into law.

The proposed amendments have led to widespread demonstrations and debate in Iraq between pro-civil rights Iraqis and the religious institutions which have gained more power over the past two decades.

A key highlight of the survey is the strong preference for a civil approach to personal status legislation.

An overwhelming 81.6 per cent of respondents expressed their desire for the law to remain civil in nature, rejecting any shift towards a religious, sectarian framework, which was supported by only 18.4 per cent of respondents.

The age group most represented in the poll was those between 46 and 60 years old, making up 29.2 per cent of participants. The youngest voters, aged 18 to 25, accounted for just 8.3 per cent of the total. 72.8 per cent of the total surveyed were married, while 12.7 per cent were single.

The poll highlighted a well-educated respondent base, with 47.6 per cent holding a bachelor's degree, 12.2 per cent holding a master's degree, and 10.5 per cent having earned a doctoral degree.

The findings suggest that any move to alter the law would face substantial public resistance which has been on the rise since the start of the month, posing a formidable challenge to any efforts to alter the law.

There were efforts by Islamist parties to introduce similar amendments in 2014 and 2017, but both of which failed to pass.

'Disastrous effects'

On Friday, the Human Rights Watch voiced concerns over the move, and warned that it will have “disastrous effects on women’s and girls’ rights”.

“The Iraqi parliament’s passage of this bill would be a devastating step backward for Iraqi women and girls and the rights they have fought hard to enshrine in law,” Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, said.

“Formally legalising child marriage would rob countless girls of their futures and well-being. Girls belong in school and on the playground, not in a wedding dress.”

The amendments allow the couples to choose whether the provisions of the Personal Status Law or the provisions of specific Islamic schools of jurisprudence would apply. If couples are from different sects, the school followed by the husband’s sect would apply.

This arrangement would effectively establish separate legal regimes with different rights accorded to different sects “further enshrining sectarianism in Iraq and undermining the right to legal equality for all Iraqis”, the New York-based organisation said.