The Iraqi Parliament passed a number of controversial legal amendments. Among them, the bill allows girls under the age of 9 to legally marry, expands the power of the Islamic Court to family matters, and transfers the adjudication of family matters such as marriage, divorce and child custody to the court, triggering strong opposition from society. Women's rights groups and human rights lawyers warned that the bill could lead to "legalized child sexual abuse."

The Associated Press reported that under the new law, Islamic courts have greater autonomy to rule on marriage matters based on religious interpretation, which means that Shiite Muslim girls can get married at the age of 9 and Sunni Muslim girls at 15, completely overturning the 1959 Personal Status Law that protected women's rights.

A 2023 United Nations survey shows that 28% of Iraqi women have been married before the age of 18. The passage of the new law may further exacerbate this phenomenon and put more underage girls into the predicament of early marriage. The legal amendment not only involves the age of marriage, but also expands the power of the Religious Affairs Bureau to adjudicate on family matters such as divorce and inheritance. Human rights experts worry that this will seriously violate the basic rights of women and children, leaving women in a more vulnerable position in terms of legal protection. .

According to the Jafari sect of Islam followed by many Shiite religious authorities in Iraq, some interpret the law to allow girls to marry as young as teenagers, even as young as 9 years old. The reform was mainly advocated by conservative Shia lawmakers, and supporters saw it as a means to make the law consistent with Islamic teachings and reduce Western influence on Iraqi culture.

Human rights groups have strongly condemned the law, saying it would legalize child sexual abuse and deprive women of their basic rights in divorce, custody and inheritance. Some opponents have said they will appeal to the Iraqi federal court. Intisar al-Mayali, a member of the Iraqi Women's League, said, "The passage of this amendment will have a catastrophic impact on the rights of women and girls. Girls marrying at a young age violates their right to life as children and undermines the protection mechanisms established for divorce, custody, and inheritance of women.”

The international community has paid close attention to this incident and is worried that the legal amendment will have a devastating impact on the future of Iraqi women and children. The United Nations has asked Iraq to review this law.