14/08/2024
DRAFT IRAQI LAW: allowing 9-year-olds to marry!
It's important that we don't remain silent about this; we must cause a stir among people in all nations. This era has shown the power of social media to influence. I am pleading for this power to prevail fully in this situation.
A draft is being proposed by the Iraqi government in 2024 to decrease the legal marriage age for girls to 9 from 15 years. Of course, this is leading to a commotion and a great deal of concern among child protection professionals and activists about the possibility of forced marriages and sexual exploitation of young girls. I am sick to my stomach, and more than anything, this hurts -as I think about the girl child and what they have to endure.
Our duty as all people is to ensure the safety and well-being of all children. To not become a part of what harms and destroys the very fabric of their innocent being. We are all familiar with the discussions about the impact of child marriages.
Now, is it incorrect to believe that these laws grant child abusers and paedophiles the freedom to do as they wish without any limits? It appears that child protection is losing importance in several nationsโthe girl child left with no one to protectโleft to suffer at the hands of men meant to protect them in the name of marriage.
I've been rereading articles and listening to news about it, but I still can't find the words to completely convey what's on my mind. This cannot go on; we cannot just sit and watch!
Opponents fear proposed bill could allow girls as young as nine to marry, erode womenโs rights and give greater powers to clerics