Sarah Sanbar the Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch during an interview with Rudaw on March 8, 2025. Photo: screengrab/ Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - On International Women’s Day, March 8, a human rights researcher warned about the concerning state of women’s rights in Iraq, especially following controversial amendments to the personal status law.
In an interview with Rudaw’s Zana Kayani on Saturday, the Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, Sarah Sanbar stated that “unfortunately and very disappointingly, I see a country that has adopted multiple steps backwards in terms of women's rights.”
The Iraqi legislature in late January adopted contentious amendments to the personal status law, allowing people to choose between civil or religious regulations for issues such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. For Shiites, the Jaafari school would apply, allowing marriage for girls as young as nine and boys at fifteen.
Sanbar warned that the amendments “will likely have disastrous impacts on women and girls and their rights across the board,” since “the law essentially creates different legal systems” based on sect and gender rather than citizenship.
The human rights advocate further censured the limited participation of Iraqi women in politics and economy, pointing to the backlash they are often subject to.
“When women do not assume positions of power and are excluded from the decision-making process, the policies adopted often overlook the needs of women, who make up [about] fifty percent of Iraq’s population,” she said.
The January amendments to the personal status law sparked both domestic and international outrage, especially since child marriage rates in Iraq have been “steadily rising” since 2003, according to Sanbar.
The United Nations in late January stated that it is “closely following” the situation in Iraq after the passage of the controversial amendments to the personal status law and urged Baghdad to uphold the rights of women and children.
In October, Amnesty International urged Iraqi lawmakers to reject the amendments, warning they would “pave the way for child marriages and strip women and girls of protections on divorce and inheritance.”
In an interview with Rudaw’s Zana Kayani on Saturday, the Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, Sarah Sanbar stated that “unfortunately and very disappointingly, I see a country that has adopted multiple steps backwards in terms of women's rights.”
The Iraqi legislature in late January adopted contentious amendments to the personal status law, allowing people to choose between civil or religious regulations for issues such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. For Shiites, the Jaafari school would apply, allowing marriage for girls as young as nine and boys at fifteen.
Sanbar warned that the amendments “will likely have disastrous impacts on women and girls and their rights across the board,” since “the law essentially creates different legal systems” based on sect and gender rather than citizenship.
The human rights advocate further censured the limited participation of Iraqi women in politics and economy, pointing to the backlash they are often subject to.
“When women do not assume positions of power and are excluded from the decision-making process, the policies adopted often overlook the needs of women, who make up [about] fifty percent of Iraq’s population,” she said.
The January amendments to the personal status law sparked both domestic and international outrage, especially since child marriage rates in Iraq have been “steadily rising” since 2003, according to Sanbar.
The United Nations in late January stated that it is “closely following” the situation in Iraq after the passage of the controversial amendments to the personal status law and urged Baghdad to uphold the rights of women and children.
In October, Amnesty International urged Iraqi lawmakers to reject the amendments, warning they would “pave the way for child marriages and strip women and girls of protections on divorce and inheritance.”
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