Iraq to lower the ‘age of consent’ for girls to nine

[Waitingforfriday75]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/iraq-poised-to-lower-the-age-of-consent-for-girls-to-nine/

Posted here as it gets the most traffic. This is by far the worst news I’ve heard all year. Imagine at the age you were meant to start secondary school instead being forced to marry and have sex with an older man. Completely disgusting!!!

I think these "men" must be sexually very insecure, why would any man want to have sex with a nine year old, ffs she's a child, I wonder if these "men" got used at nine would they be ok with it? Reminds me of the sick but funny joke, Peter sellers quoted, I only sleep with virgins I can't stand criticism. Maybe these so called men are the same! Truly disgusting!

I couldn't have said it better myself. Very eloquent!

Yes, he was an Arab-centrist - he was a Ba'athist. But I meant that he left most people alone as long as they did not try to unseat him. If you have a tyrant running your country it's best to avoid doing that if you want to live - or move, sadly. But the results of the Iraq invasion have not been a more pluralistic and freer society but quite the opposite, especially for women, as witness this filthy, paedophile charter going through the legislature.

It WAS a proposal that didn't pass or get any traction. There were protests and work done on the ground to ensure this didn't happen. Muslims did speak out. They did fight it. It quietly went away in the face of such adversity. Funny how that isn't mentioned.

In the meantime, add a couple more years and it's perfectly legal and ok in the US , and no one is kicking off about that.

Nearly 300,000 children,some as young as 10 were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018—mostly girls who were wed to adult men, according to Unchained At Last, a nonprofit organization working to end child marriage in the U.S.

What can western governments do? Well the USA could close the loopholes that allow 9 year olds to marry. And in particular stop child rapist from marrying their victim to avoid prosecution.

What can western governments do? Well the USA could close the loopholes that allow 9 year olds to marry. And in particular stop child rapist from marrying their victim to avoid prosecution.

Whilst a good idea, this fails to addres the issue in Iraq. The knee-jerk reaction of "West bad" is actually so racist and patronising, like people in other countries don't have agency.

Utterly sickening. Whole heartedly vile. As a civilisation, we are going backwards, devolving and regressing.

It is not racist to point out that while the idea of an age of consent in Iraq is being discussed that several US states, including some with an age of consent allow children to marry.

No child should be married anywhere in the world.

The law in England and Wales only changed last year, well the law was passed earlier but only came in to effect 2023. Children can still marry in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Yes 16 is much more mature than 9 but it is still a child.

This particular issue in Iraq has been sorted. It didn't pass. The title is misleading. It's not happening or set to happen. They might try again, of course , but that's a battle for another day. A battle fought by (predominantly)Iraqi women and charities , on the grounds. Not Suzie from Mumsnet , 3 months later and a pound short.

I think if we are going to criticise the policies of other countries, we should also look at our own. There are four states in the US which have no minimum age for marriage and one where it is 15. This is due to people (women) pushing for change and they have been successful in a number of states. It’s 16 where I am, can’t drink or smoke s cigarette or drive a car but you can get married!

Personally 16 is much too young, I don’t know anyone who has gotten married under 21. I have to admit I’ve never thought it was an issue really. However perhaps there are young women and girls being shunted into marriage due to community/ parental pressure.

It's utterly incomprehensible to me that men, supposedly intelligent and educated men, want to legalize pedophilia 😶

Why is this a suprise to anyone? Prophet Mohammed married his wife Aisha when six and had consummated the marriage when she was 9. This isn't hidden and known by all that follow Islam.

What "excuse" does the US have then, which is still doing now (or as late as 2018 given the latest research).

During those times , accepted age for marriage was 12 for girls and 14 for boys in most cultures.

Skip ahead 1000 years and in England, you could marry off your 2 yo to a 3 yo and raise them both(though it was youngest in the "couple" would normally go ) until they were old enough to consummate the marriage.

Historically it's all fucked up. Historically, there were always attempts to lower the age of consent, even in western countries. Massive campaigns iin the 70's. Latest was 2013 to lower age if consent to 15, but older ones aimed for much lower.

I'm not sure of your point. Pointing out past wrongs doesn't excuse present wrongs. I'm simply advising why anyone would be surprised when the foundation of the Islamic religion, the prophet Mohammed, married a 9-year-old.

It doesn't surprise me at all.

The Scum used to put topless children on page 3. There have been countdowns to many female child actors becoming 'legal'.

I've always loved watching Olympic gymnastics, I can remember male commentators assessing the 'sexuality' or performances. They may or may not have been 18 but they didn't look like they were.

Would you be just as unsurprised if it was Jewish people , considering there is huge debate and controversy over the age of Isaac's wife Rebekkah at marriage?Some say 14 some say 3.

I just find it highly hypocritical that we have pages of pages of calls to action when it was about Iraq (and it didn't actually become law), but not one word of "what can we do" when it actually IS happening in America.

The article focuses on Iraq, not America.

The Bible does not support the claim that Rebekah was age 3; this idea comes from an unrelated tradition. Since the Bible is God-breathed, external traditions hold no weight in this context.

Marriage is a solemn commitment, and when the Bible discusses it, it always refers to a union between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:7). The Greek and Hebrew terms used in the context of marriage imply mature men and women rather than child brides. Any culture, whether ancient or modern, that allows marriages between young girls and older men essentially legalises child abuse, which is not condoned in Scripture.

Furthermore, Aisha herself states in a hadith that she was 6 years old when she married the Prophet.

The article focuses on Iraq, not America.

Yes, but since it's not actually happening in Iraq (it's been stopped, by actual muslim people/women) and we all agree it is bad ,disgusting,damaging etc. why not focus on a country where it actually is happening?

Or is it only wrong based on geographical location (to put it mildly)?

Fucking men.

Not all men, but always men.

Child marriage is still legal in countless countries, all across the world, and i personally feel as much the same disgust and outrage for child marriage happening in the US as I do for it happening in Iraq, as I do for it happening in Chad, as I do for it happening anywhere else in the world. It’s utterly horrific that there a millions of men, throughout the world, who believe, and who are actively being told to believe, that it’s their right to marry very young girls. Sickening. Given that the original post specifically talks about Iraq, regarding this, this is what people are commenting on, as I have done. But if the original post was about child marriage in the US, I am pretty sure there would be outrage and comments relevant to that.

That large parliamentary majority is the sort of thing I had in mind when saying don't imagine this has gone away
Doubtless the idea's comforting to those who believe the pushback's made all the difference, but I've every expectation this'll raise its head again - and probably be adopted

Back to medieval times? Iraqi men can marry children as young as 9; government lowers the age of consent for girls

You'd think it already happened. Oh wait, it didn't.

Might it happen in the future? Possibly.A lot of things have been happening that I thought I'd never see which is incredibly worrying.

Hopefully the news will be 1. More prompt and in real time and 2.accurate in any future attempts so the people fighting against this can be properly supported.

The west got involved when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait before that the total number of deaths and disappearances related to repression is unknown, but is estimated to be at least 250,000 to 290,000 according to Human Rights Watch. So yes, so much better !.

Yes, indeed. And people need to read up about what Hussein's oldest son, Uday and his cronies, did to women and girls, during Hussein’s dictatorship. Horrific.