Iraqi Cabinet Approves Legalizing Marriage For 9-Year-Old Girls

RTT NEWS: Iraq's Council of Ministers have approved a new draft law that would restrict women's rights in matters of inheritance and parental and other rights after divorce, make it easier for men to take multiple wives, and allow girls to be married from age nine.

The new Personal Status Law, which received the Cabinet's nod on February 25, must now be approved by the parliament to become law.

Human Rights Watch called on the Iraqi Government to withdraw the pending legislation and ensure that Iraq's legal framework protects women and girls in line with its international obligations.

The draft law, called the Jaafari Personal Status Law, is based on the principles of the Jaafari school of Shia religious jurisprudence, founded by Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq, the sixth Shia imam. » | RTT Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 12, 2014