A proposed Iraqi bill aimed at lowering the legal marriage age for girls from 18 to 9 has ignited widespread opposition by critics claiming it is gateway to child abuse and human trafficking.

A proposed new bill passed in Iraq’s Parliament to lower the legal marriage age for girls from a 18 years old to just nine years has triggered significant controversy throughout the country.

Abuse and Trafficking of Children

Global experts confirm a country which allows the marriage of children, opens the opportunity for the abuse and trafficking of children.

Iraq is a country which during the Obama presidency was taken over by a Islamic terror group known a ISIS.

ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is known for child rape, child marriage, kidnapping, rape, murder, and human trafficking amongst other terror related offences worldwide.

ISIS Flourished

Although ISIS flourished under the Obama Presidency and the world has seen its resurgence under the Biden Presidency the group was seemingly destroyed during the Trump presidency.

The Iraqi bill which would exploit young girls to be raped by older men, often already in previous marriages was Introduced by the Iraq Justice Ministry.

The bill aims to amend the Personal Status Law, which currently sets the minimum age for marriage at 18.

It is unclear if the Iraqi bill would allow these children to be married to med who already have wives, as is permitted by Sharia law.

Sharia Law

Sharia law is an Islamic based laws which is used by many Islamic terror groups such as ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, to govern their adherents.

Many adherents in the Islamic terror groups accept sharia law and also accept the marriage of older men to young children especially girls.

Critics argue the new law would increase child abuse and child exploitation while undermining women’s and girl’s right to equality.

Global Human Rights Organizations

Global human rights organizations warn that putting a child marriage law into place after having been the age of majority (18) would effectively put the country back into the dark ages.

The new child marriage law threatens to destroy girls’ education and well-being in the already economically challenged nation.

The moves by the Iraqi parliament would put the country on par with backwards nations such as Afghanistan which prevent girls from even getting an education.

If enacted, the bill would allow girls as young as nine and boys as young as 15 to marry.

it is unclear why there is a difference in the new age between girls and boys , signifying inherent discrimination in the new law.

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Right to Marry a Child

Iraq which is a mainly Sunni muslim nation believes the prophet of Islam known as Muhammad was in his right to marry a child bride known as Aisha, his friend Abu Bakr’s daughter.

The marriage sealed the prophet of Islam’s fate marrying the child who according to Islamic law was married at the tender age of 6 and had her marriage consummated at the prepubescent age of nine.

According to Islamic history Aisha may have assisted in the poisoning of their prophet as well as starting the first war between muslims creating the Sunni – Shia split between the groups.

The Sunni sect follows and accepts Aisha as the child bride of Muhammad whereas the Shia believe she killed their prophet, started a war killing the prophet’s relatives, and corrupting the Islamic religion.

Child Trafficking and Exploitation

This change in the marriage statute laws have also raised many concerns about increased child trafficking and exploitation.

Critics around the world argue that it would the new law would essentially reverse progress in women’s rights and gender equality in the already embattled nation.

Human rights organizations, women’s groups, and civil society activists have strongly opposed the bill claiming it will further plummet the country into darkness.

Negatively Impact Iraq

Many child welfare groups warn that a law implementing the marriage of men with little girls would negatively impact Iraq.

For young girls’ education, health, and well-being, would come into jeopardy along with higher dropout rates, early pregnancies, and increased domestic violence.

UNICEF, originally the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children’s Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.

UNICEF has reports that nearly 28 percent of girls in Iraq are already married before 18 while many speculate the numbers to be even higher in rural areas.

The link between Islamic terror groups such as ISIS and child rape, child marriage, kidnapping and human trafficking is evident.

Protecting the rights of children especially girls has been shown to improve the quality of life of a nation as protecting the most vulnerable of society protects the values of that society.