Iraq lowers marriage consent age to 9 years old.

Ultra-conservative Shia Muslim parties have begun an effort to impose a new law that will cut the present age of consent in the pariah nation in half from the current maximum of 18. The new law, which would allow males to marry children as young as nine years old and has been dubbed a "catastrophe for women" by activists working to repeal it.  

Replacing the key legislation, also known as Law 188, will further erode women's rights, denying them the opportunity to divorce their partners, have custody of their children, and inherit. This has been intended to be done three times now. 

Girls as young as 10 or 11 years old might be transported to live with their husband's family under the new rule, depriving them of their present modest safeguards. Meanwhile, human rights organisations claim that the new rule effectively puts young girls at danger of sexual and physical abuse.