Iraqi Kurdistan PM Fiercely Criticizes Baghdad’s New Child Marriage Law
Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani strongly condemned Iraq’s proposed legislation to lower the legal marriage age to nine, calling it a significant setback for women’s rights.
Speaking as a panel guest at the Middle East Peace and Security Conference in Erbil on Sunday, Barzani described the bill as “a severe regression” and urged Iraq to reclaim its position as a regional leader in gender equality.
“Iraq was one of the most advanced Middle Eastern countries in terms of promoting women’s rights,” Barzani said, explaining that soaring poverty, injustice, and illiteracy levels have weakened Baghdad’s resolve on the issue.
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International rights groups, such as Amnesty International, have decried the proposed changes to Iraq’s Personal Status Law since it was first introduced to the Iraqi parliament, warning of a “devastating impact” on protections for women and girls.
If passed, the bill would put “decision-making power over family matters in the hands of clerics, making family law arbitrary, regardless of human rights and its social repercussions,” according to Wilson Center researcher Hiba Abdulwahhab.
Barzani contrasted Iraq’s trajectory with that of Iraqi Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region with its own devolved parliament and security apparatus.
“In Kurdistan, women have always had greater freedom and more rights,” he said. “We’ve promoted their participation in Parliament and ensured they play leading roles in government and business.”
On broader regional concerns, the Kurdish prime minister criticized Iraq’s entanglement in external conflicts and the financial losses caused by restrictions on oil exports and expressed hope for strong US-Kurdistan ties under President Donald Trump’s administration.
