MPs in Iraq could be about to open the door to
legalising child marriage of girls as young as 9 years old . NINE! They also want to strip women of their rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance . Massive backlash stopped attempts to change the law before – now Iraqi women are asking Avaazers to make their call global. Join now and share widely , so politicians see that the world stands with Iraq’s women and girls!
Sign Now ( [link removed] )
Dear friends,
This could end up legalising child rape .
MPs in Iraq’s male-dominated Parliament want to leave family matters up to religious courts, which couldforce girls as young as 9 years old to get married . And they’re fighting dirty – trading girls’ and women’s rights for political favours.
Iraqi women arerisking their freedom and personal safety to save little girls from this horror – and they’re asking our global community to stand with them.
There’s a sliver of hope: twice before, a massivebacklash stopped attempts to gut longstanding protections for girls and women , and local activists say that rallying global public opinion, and pressure on the government ahead of key elections, can still make a difference. We must stop this bill before it comes to a vote, so add your name NOW , and we’ll help spread Iraqi women’s voices far and wide!
Iraq: Don’t legalise child rape ( [link removed] )
Women in Iraq took to the streets this summer to urge MPs to keep their hands off the law protecting their rights which currently prohibits child marriage. They’ve gone to the courts. They’re keeping going despite threats, intimidation and odds stacked against them.
Now thepoliticians pushing to empower pro-child-marriage religious courts are closer than ever to getting what they want , and they're using negotiations over an explosive amnesty law to win the votes they need to rob women and girls of their rights.
It will take a small miracle to stop them. But just like the women in Iraq, our community doesn’t give up easily.Join this urgent call and let’s make it big everywhere …then when it’s huge, we’ll take it to Iraq’s donors and trading partners in the UN and EU, amplifying voices from Iraq and making sure MPs know the world is watching.
Iraq: Don’t legalise child rape ( [link removed] )
Avaazers have stood with brave activists fighting child marriage before in Bangladesh. We helped Gambian activists successfully defend a ban on female genital mutilation. And women’s rights advocates have used hundreds of thousands of signatures from our community to push for change at the highest levels of power. Let’s now stand with women and girls in Iraq.
With hope,
Nate, Antonia, Mo, Sarah, John and the whole Avaaz team*The image used for this campaign is of a young Italian actress at an event to denounce child marriage in Italy.
More information:
Iraq to lower the ‘age of consent’ for girls to nine ( [link removed] ) (The Telegraph) Draft Iraqi law allowing 9-year-olds to marry would ‘legalise child rape’, say activists ( [link removed] ) (The Guardian) Iraq: Parliament Poised to Legalize Child Marriage ( [link removed] ) (HRW)
Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here ( [link removed] ) , or follow us on Facebook ( [link removed] ) , X ( [link removed] ) , or Instagram ( [link removed] ) .
You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Join Avaaz!" on 2019-06-28 using the email address
[email protected].
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add
[email protected] to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information,contact us ( [link removed] ) , or simply go here to unsubscribe ( [link removed] ) .
To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at
www.avaaz.org/en/contact ( [link removed] ) .
27 Union Square West
Suite 500
New York, NY 10003
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]