Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Personal Status Law, which took effect on February 17, 2025, represents a serious “violation” of women's rights despite the amendments, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Monday.

HRW stated that the amendments, passed after months of legal and political disputes, “Violates women’s and girls’ rights to equality before the law and puts them at risk of other abuses.”

The organization acknowledged that advocacy by women's rights groups succeeded in preserving some protections, including the minimum marriage age, child custody rights, and restrictions on polygamy. However, it stressed that the revised law still contains provisions that undermine women's legal standing.

“It’s deeply disheartening to see Iraqi leaders move the country backward rather than forward on women and girls’ rights,” said Sarah Sanbar, HRW's Iraq researcher. “Though the final text includes important revisions, particularly on the minimum age of marriage, these changes merely take the law from terrible to just plain bad.”

The initial amendment to the law aimed to lower the legal marriage age for girls to 9 years old, causing significant opposition from activists and human rights organizations, leading to its revision. The final amendment sets the minimum marriage age at 15 years with judicial approval.

Sanbar warned that the law’s long-term impact “will reach far and wide, likely changing the fabric of Iraqi society at the expense of Iraqi women and girls’ independence and ability to make their own decisions.”