The Iraqi government is about to vote on a law that, if passed, would
allow marriage for girls as young as nine.

Iraq has reshaped its image post-ISIS and relies heavily on international
trade deals.

Let's show that its newfound reputation is on the line unless it scraps
this abusive law.

[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 

   
John,

Iraq’s parliament is about to vote on a law that would make it legal to
marry girls as young as nine.

Thousands of people have been protesting in cities all across Iraq. But
religious MPs are dead-set on passing this abusive law.

Iraq has had much success reshaping its global image post-ISIS, and relies
heavily on trade deals with governments and partnerships with corporations
like GE and Honeywell which both have pending deals with Iraq.

Let's quickly show just how seriously the country's newfound reputation is
on the line.

[ [link removed] ]Tell Iraq’s MPs: protect girls and scrap the child marriage law.

The new proposal will tear families and society apart by handing over
family affairs to religious clerics — allowing them to decide everything
from marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody of children based on
sectarian biases rather than civil law. This means that Iraq’s 1959
Personal Status Law which set the minimum marriage age at 18, will
essentially be defunct.

While Iraq is certainly not the only country debating child marriage (and
we don’t just mean in the Middle East – several states in the US haven’t
officially outlawed it!) – Iraqi women have spent decades fighting for
equality, and won. In fact, contrary to how the media depicts it,
historically Iraq has some of the strongest protections for women in the
Middle East.

But now if this archaic law is passed, it will set Iraq back a century,
and put millions of women, girls, and other marginalized individuals at
risk of abuse. 

Add your name to help protect women and girls in Iraq. Let's show that new
and existing business deals could be at risk unless the parliament scraps
this abusive law.

[ [link removed] ]Stop child marriage in Iraq.

Our partners in Iraq told us that different versions of this law have been
proposed in parliament over the years, but each time, these attempts were
thwarted due to strong opposition. Together, we can do this again!



[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition 



Thanks for all that you do,
Rewan, Falastine, Nish, Eoin and the team at Ekō


More information:

[ [link removed] ]Iraq: Parliament Poised to Legalize Child Marriage
Human Rights Watch. 16 August 2024
[ [link removed] ]Draft Iraqi law allowing 9-year-olds to marry would ‘legalise child
rape’, say activists
The Guardian. 10 August 2024

 

 

Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]