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The Child Brides of Iraq's Booming Wedding Industry
(The Times-UK) Shayma Bakht - The betrothal of 12-year-old Amani was arranged, according to relatives, "without the need for her permission" because her marriage was approved by a local cleric. In January, Iraq passed a law which allows citizens to choose sect-specific religious courts to oversee their marriage affairs, after years of lobbying from Shia political parties. The state has introduced Ja'fari law, an 8th-century religious jurisprudence specifically for Shias, who are the religious majority in southern Iraq. A judge can permit child marriage based on perceived "maturity and physical capacity." While Iraqi civil law sets the minimum age for marriage at 15, the Ja'fari teachings allow girls to be married from the age of 9. In Baghdad, dozens of videographers, make-up artists and dress sellers reported a recent boost in the wedding industry due to a rise in child bride clients.