Rights groups and many Iraqi women fear the country's parliament will open the door to child marriages as lawmakers consider legal changes that would give religious authorities more power over family law. The push for the changes comes mainly from powerful Shiite Muslim political factions that have increasingly campaigned against what they describe as the West imposing its cultural norms on Muslim-majority Iraq. Months ago, the parliament passed a harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law. The new proposed amendments to the personal status law are not the first batch to be considered in the past decade, but Shiite parties are more unified behind them. Opponents warn the changes could allow conservative clerics to approve marriages of girls as young as 9.
