Iraq s Violation of Women s Rights
"The struggle for women's rights, and the task of creating a new United Nations, able to promote peace and the values which nurture and sustain it, are one and the same. Today more than ever the cause of women is the cause of all humanity." Secretary General Boutros BoutrosGhali
Iraq continues to show discrimination against women’s rights and gender bias by creating a bill that would lower the age of marriage for girls from age thirteen to age nine. They have also lowered the age of marriage for boys to fifteen. The new bill is called the Jaafari Personal Status Law. It allows men to easily have multiple wives and thereby further the subjugation of women.
Founded by Imam Jaafar alSadiq, the Jaafari Personal Status Law is based on the
principles of the Jaafari school of the Shia religion. Despite the efforts of activists and protesters, the bill was approved by the Council of Ministers on February 25, 2014. It must now be approved by the parliament to become law:
The draft law would cover Iraq’s Shia citizens and residents, a majority of the population of 36 million. It includes provisions that prohibit Muslim men from marrying nonMuslims, legalizes marital rape by stating that a husband is entitled to have sex with his wife regardless of her consent, and prevents women from leaving the house without permission from their husbands. The law would automatically grant custody over any child age two or older to the father in divorce cases, lower the marriage age to nine for girls and fifteen for boys, and even allow girls younger than nine to be married with a parent’s approval.
(Benson)
Iraq’s current personal status law that was established in 1959 is considered to be the most protective of women’s rights out of all the Middle Eastern countries:
It
Iraq continues to show discrimination against women’s rights and gender bias by creating a bill that would lower the age of marriage for girls from age thirteen to age nine. They have also lowered the age of marriage for boys to fifteen. The new bill is called the Jaafari Personal Status Law. It allows men to easily have multiple wives and thereby further the subjugation of women.
Founded by Imam Jaafar alSadiq, the Jaafari Personal Status Law is based on the
principles of the Jaafari school of the Shia religion. Despite the efforts of activists and protesters, the bill was approved by the Council of Ministers on February 25, 2014. It must now be approved by the parliament to become law:
The draft law would cover Iraq’s Shia citizens and residents, a majority of the population of 36 million. It includes provisions that prohibit Muslim men from marrying nonMuslims, legalizes marital rape by stating that a husband is entitled to have sex with his wife regardless of her consent, and prevents women from leaving the house without permission from their husbands. The law would automatically grant custody over any child age two or older to the father in divorce cases, lower the marriage age to nine for girls and fifteen for boys, and even allow girls younger than nine to be married with a parent’s approval.
(Benson)
Iraq’s current personal status law that was established in 1959 is considered to be the most protective of women’s rights out of all the Middle Eastern countries:
It