Human Rights Organizations: Amendments to Personal Status Laws in Iraq Reinstate Discrimination Against Women
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The recent amendments to the Ja'fari personal status law in Iraq have sparked widespread criticism from international human rights organizations, led by Human Rights Watch, which considered that the changes approved by Parliament in late August reinforce discrimination against women and grant men preference in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody.
The organization emphasized that these amendments do not merely represent a legal update, but a step that re-establishes the gender gap in Iraqi legislation and undermines any previous attempts to promote equality.
Earlier, Amnesty International warned that these amendments open the door to the legalization of unregistered marriages, which could be used as a cover for child marriages, raising concerns about a further decline in the protection of the rights of girls and women.
The debate over personal status laws in Iraq is not new, but it resurfaces with every attempt to amend them, as activists see these laws as reflecting an ongoing struggle between religious authorities seeking to expand their influence and civil voices demanding fairer and more equal laws.
The organization emphasized that these amendments do not merely represent a legal update, but a step that re-establishes the gender gap in Iraqi legislation and undermines any previous attempts to promote equality.
Earlier, Amnesty International warned that these amendments open the door to the legalization of unregistered marriages, which could be used as a cover for child marriages, raising concerns about a further decline in the protection of the rights of girls and women.
The debate over personal status laws in Iraq is not new, but it resurfaces with every attempt to amend them, as activists see these laws as reflecting an ongoing struggle between religious authorities seeking to expand their influence and civil voices demanding fairer and more equal laws.
