Iraqis protest proposed 'anti-women' amendment to personal status law

Shelly Kittleson

Aug 4, 2024

A woman walks holding a placard as activists demonstrate against female child marriages, in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad on July 28, 2024, amid parliamentary discussion over a proposed amendment to the Iraqi Personal Status Law. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images) — A woman walks holding a placard as activists demonstrate against female child marriages, in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad on July 28, 2024, amid parliamentary discussion over a proposed amendment to the Iraqi Personal Status Law. — AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

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BAGHDAD — An amendment to Iraq’s personal status law that was due to be debated in parliament last week has sparked concerns over the future of the rights and safety of women and female children in the country.

An initial reading of the proposed amendment scheduled for July 24 was postponed due to opposition. Late on July 29, the largest bloc in Iraq’s parliament called for a first reading to proceed.

Some see the proposed changes as the latest in a long line of attempts to reduce women’s rights in the country; others claim the amendment has been misconstrued by foreign embassies and the much-maligned “media,” often blamed for a wide range of societal ills.

Iraq’s current personal status law is from 1959. It regulates matters such as marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance.