Iraq: Don't Legalise Forced Child Marriage!
- von: Walk Free
- empfänger: Prime Minister of Iraq Dr. Nouri al-Maliki
Any minute now, the Iraqi Council of Representatives will vote to legalise forced child marriage.
If this legislation passes, there will be no minimum age to legally marry. A girl's father would legally be able to accept a marriage proposal, and a girl would be prohibited from resisting her husband's advances and leaving the home without his permission. This law is a recipe for life in domestic and sexual slavery.
Currently, with the legal marriage age at 18 and the prohibition of forced marriage, Iraq has one of the most progressive policies on women's rights in the Middle East. This law would be a huge step back for Iraqi women's rights!
We may not have much time to stop Iraq from legalizing forced child marriage and a lifetime of domestic and sexual slavery for girls and women. Urge the Prime Minister of Iraq to strike down the Jaafari Personal Status Law today!
sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10753645/Iraq-ready-to-legalise-childhood-marriage.html
http://apps.americanbar.org/rol/publications/iraq_personal_status_law_1959_english_translation.pdf
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/03/11/iraq-don-t-legalize-marriage-9-year-olds
Dear Prime Minister,
The Jaafari Personal Status Law would enable forced child marriage and trap girls and women in a lifetime of domestic and sexual slavery.
[Your comments here]
I strongly urge you to vote "no" to this law and to encourage the members of your party to do the same.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]Update #1vor 10 Jahren
UPDATE: The Jaafari Personal Status Law (which would have legalised Forced Child Marriage in Iraq) was not voted on before the April 30 election, and it's thanks to people like you applying international pressure and sending more than 100,000 messages in protest of this law.
While the new Government is forming we'll be closely monitoring this issue and planning the next stages of the campaign. We want to build on this momentum to ensure the Jaafari Personal Status Law is rejected permanently.
