A new law that could legalise marriage for children as young as nine in Iraq would be “catastrophic”, setting back women’s rights by half a century, activists said.

The proposal, an amendment to Iraq’s personal status law, would allow clerics of Muslim sects to govern marriage contracts.

Public demonstrations were held last weekend by civil society and women’s rights groups against the amendment. The United Nations in Iraq (Unami) called for wider consultations and for women’s rights to be fully recognised and protected.

‘Catastrophic’ Iraq law could legalise marriage for children as young as nine – The Guardian