Draft Iraqi law allowing 9-year-olds to marry would ‘legalise child rape’, say activists

Opponents fear proposed bill could allow girls as young as nine to marry, erode women’s rights and give greater powers to clerics

A draft law in Iraq that would allow the marriage of girls as young as nine has provoked protests across the country, with women’s rights activists saying it would “legalise child rape”.

The Shia religious groups that dominate the political system in Iraq have been pushing to erode women’s rights in the country for more than a decade.