The proposed Iraqi law could lower the age of consent for a girl as an adult from 18 to 9, effectively legalizing child rape.

If a new Shia-backed law is passed in Iraq, young girls who are not yet teenagers could be forced to become wives, as the law would lower a girl's consent from 18 to age 9.

This includes allowing parents to have arranged marriages for their young daughters.

In Iraq, there is no requirement for a female to obtain permission from a male guardian, such as a husband or father, to make significant life decisions, including marriage. Additionally, the law permits religious authorities to perform marriages.

The proposed law, currently in its second parliamentary review, has faced opposition from female MPs and activist groups, as reported by the Guardian.

Raya Faiq, the coordinator for a coalition of groups opposing the law change, which also includes some Iraqi MPs, stated that this is a catastrophe for women.

"If my daughter gets married and her husband wants to marry off my granddaughter as a child, the new law would allow him to do so, and I would not be allowed to object. This law effectively legalizes child rape."

The new law would restore a Taliban-like approach to limiting women's rights.

Demonstrations have taken place in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, resulting in confrontations with local authorities.

Despite being illegal in the U.S. since the 1950s, a survey by Unicef revealed that 28% of girls in Iraq married before their 18th birthday.

The Aman Women's Alliance co-founder Nadia Mahmood stated that the male-dominated MPs in Iraq are threatened by the growing movement of youth organizations and women.

"The Guardian reported that after the mass youth protests in Iraq in 2019, these political players perceived that the influence of women in society was growing stronger. They believed that feminist, gender, and women's organizations, as well as civil society and activist movements, posed a threat to their power and status. As a result, they began to restrict and suppress these groups."

Despite the efforts of 25 female government members in Iraq to prevent the law from being voted on again, they claim that the intense opposition from their male counterparts has made it almost impossible to succeed.

Unfortunately, some male MPs who support this law use a masculine tone when questioning the legality of marrying a minor. Their thinking is limited and they do not consider the impact of their actions on the people they represent. As legislators, they have the power to determine people's lives, but instead, they rely on their own narrow-mindedness to authorize such actions.

If the law changes are adopted, protesters worry that their children may face a more severe future than their own.

Azhar Jassim, who had to leave school to be married at 16, stated that he does not want his daughter to be forced into marriage as a child.