Kurdistan Parliament Forbids Forced Marriages

Kurdistan Region Parliament held continuous sessions this week and amended items of the 1959 personal status law. The amendments punish relatives who force unwanted marriages or prevent wanted marriages. Kurdish lawmakers failed on Wednesday to pass the amendment regarding family costs.

"No relative or others have the right to force any person [male or female] to be married without his or her approval. Forced marriage is regarded as invalid before entering. But if it is entered into, it will be suspended. Also, no relatives or others have the right to prevent anyone who wants to get married from marrying," read the amended and translated Article 9 of the original law.

In another item, the law punishes relatives who force anyone into marriage. Relatives of first degree [parents] will be sentenced to prison for a period of between two and five years. For other relatives, the sentence will be imprisonment for no less than 3 years and no more than 10 years. This was passed with 34 approving and 27 opposing it.