While liberal women in the U.S. meltdown over President Donald Trump’s decisive victory on election day by shaving their heads and joining the “4B” movement vowing to stay away from men, girls in other parts of the world face actual oppression and abuse.
A draft of new legislation in Iraq proposes lowering the age of consent for girls from 18 to 9 years old in a move that women’s rights activists say would “legalize child rape.”
According to France24, the bill would allow citizens to choose either religious authorities or the civil judiciary to decide family affairs, including setting a new minimum age for girls to marry.
The proposed changes to the “personal status law” would also deprive women of the right to divorce and impact child custody and inheritance.
Raya Faiq, who is fighting against the bill, told The Guardian, “This is a catastrophe for women. This law legalizes child rape.”
Amnesty International’s Iraq researcher Razaw Salihy said the proposed changes should be “stopped in their tracks”.
“No matter how it is dressed up, in passing these amendments, Iraq would be closing a ring of fire around women and children,” she said.
According to the proposed changes, “Muslims of age” who want to marry must choose whether the 1959 Personal Status Law or Sharia Islamic rules apply to them on family matters.
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