Iraqi and Yazidi women stated that the proposed amendment to the law in Iraq is an attack on women's struggle and said, "Marrying off a 9-year-old girl is killing in every aspect."
Some Shiite parties in the Iraqi Parliament submitted to the parliament a draft law amending the Personal Status Law, which takes custody of children away from the mother and paves the way for marriage at the age of 9.
Iraqi and Yazidi women made a written statement against the amendment to the law, which says the following:
"The Iraqi parliament is discussing amendments to the Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959. There is no place for women's rights in Iraqi laws. Existing laws do not represent women's freedom and gender equality. All laws are written and approved by male hands and male minds. The change in this law jeopardises the lives of women the most. Laws against women, children and their rights are drafted by men. It is the masculine state mind that discusses and changes them.
We consider the proposed amendment to this law as a threat to the lives of every woman living in Iraq. In the current situation, women have no right to protect themselves in any way. With such laws, the state establishes inequality between men and women, which gives men more power over women. Women in Iraq are at risk in all areas of life. Women's rights are violated politically, economically, educationally and legally. The marriage of a 9-year-old girl is a massacre. It is a massacre of society in the person of women. To marry off a 9-year-old child is to kill life.
This amendment to the law will officially pave the way for the marriage of girls at the age of 9. The legitimisation of this will lead to the physical, mental and social murder of women and girls.
We are in the 21st century and this is the century of women's freedom. Women all over the world struggle with the philosophy of "Jin jiyan Azadî" [Woman, Life, Freedom] and resist against the dominant patriarchal understanding. Instead of listening to the voices of liberated women, Iraq, on the contrary, discusses and wants to implement femicide. We consider the amendment of the law in the Iraqi parliament as an attack on women's struggle.
As Iraqi women, we strongly reject and condemn this decision. This law must be abolished completely without amendment. We call on all institutions and organisations fighting for the rights of women and children in Iraq to raise their voices against this. The place of 9-year-old girls is not in the home and having children, their place is in playgrounds, parks, streets and schools."
