Iraqi lawmakers are considering a new law that would allow girls as young as nine to be married.

The bill that has been recently proposed in Iraq's parliament has received strong criticism from human rights groups. Women's rights activists are sounding the alarm over a dangerous bill that could potentially increase the number of underage marriages in the country. According to the bill, citizens would have the option to choose either religious leaders or civil judiciaries to make decisions regarding family matters. This could potentially lower the legal age for girls to marry to as low as nine years old.

This issue has sparked a heated debate as some argue that the Prophet Muhammad himself married one of his wives, Aisha, when she was only nine years old. However, there are also conflicting reports stating that she was actually 18 at the time of marriage. Despite this debate, the reality in Iraq is that 28% of girls are already married before the age of 18, as reported by UNICEF. Shockingly, 22% of these marriages involve girls under the age of 14.

Under the current law, Muslim couples who wish to marry must choose between the country's 1959 "personal status law" or Sharia Islamic rules. The 1959 law shifted the responsibility of family matters from religious authorities to the state and set the minimum age for marriage at 18. However, constitutional expert Zaid al-Ali claims that this law only borrowed the most progressive rules from different sects, causing frustration among Islamic authorities.

Although the 1959 law is still in place, the new bill would give citizens the option to choose between the legal age of 18 or religious laws, which often allow for much younger marriages. Al-Ali argues that this essentially gives men the opportunity to choose what suits them best. This has raised concerns among human rights organizations who firmly believe that girls belong in schools and playgrounds, not in a wedding dress.

In a recent statement, Human Rights Watch strongly condemned the proposed bill, stating that "girls belong on the playground and in school, not in a wedding dress." This sentiment is also shared by Payzee Malika, who shared her own personal experience of being married off at the age of 16 while living in South London. At the time, marriage with parental consent was legal for girls above the age of 16 in the UK. Payzee's parents took advantage of this law and arranged for her to marry a 30-year-old man without her knowledge.

For Payzee, this was the day her childhood was taken away from her. The thought of being married off at such a young age is terrifying and goes against the basic human rights of girls. It is crucial that this bill is not passed, and efforts are made to protect the rights of young girls who deserve to have a childhood and an education, rather than being forced into marriage.

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