Iraq's Personal Status Law Amendment Undermines Women's Rights, Says Human Rights Watch

Oct 15, 2025 11:25 pm CST

Human Rights Watch criticizes Iraq's amended personal status law for restricting women's rights by allowing retroactive application of Shiite religious code in marriages without wives' consent, permitting husbands to divorce unilaterally, and automatically transferring child custody to fathers after age seven, effectively relegating women to second-class citizens in legal matters of marriage, divorce, and family rights.