Siddharth Urmil 
Claim
A video is going viral on social media. It is being claimed that it is from Iraq. It is being alleged, in the video, that 9-year-old girl is being married off in Iraq.
A verified user, Nadeem Shaikh, has shared a video on social media site X (formerly Twitter). He has informed in the caption that it is from Iraq. He has written in the caption: “It is becoming quite common to get married with 9-year-old girls in Iraq. Give this kind of concession to the Muslims in India, so that they, too, can follow the Arab’s tradition that dates back to 1400 CE.”
Fact Check
While investigating the viral video, we couldn’t find any credible news reports published by any major Iraqi media outlets regarding the viral video. The original source of the video is yet to be verified. However, we discovered that marrying a 9-year-old girl is prohibited in Iraq.
Moreover, while investigating on the story, we found news reports related to child marriage in Iraq. News reports by The National News and Associated Press mentions of the amendments that were passed in the Iraqi parliament which proposed to amend the Iraq’s Personal Status Law. The amendment would have allowed the marriage of girls as young as 15-year-old. This law has been suspended by Iraq’s Supreme Court. Thus, the law to lower the legal marriage age for women has been put on hold.
Furthermore, the news report mentions about the bill, whose initial drafts which proposed of lowering the legal marriage age to nine years was passed at the end of January. However, the Iraqi Parliament did not release the quorum or vote count.
Moreover, a video was made viral on social media that showed disorder in the parliament. There was chaos, shouting, and some members of parliament walking out, all this was out in the social media while the parliament was in session.
Lastly, the court issued a statement to Iraq’s news agency saying the court is reviewing the constitutional validity of the law and till, then the law is temporarily suspended until a final consensus is being made.
Conclusion
Therefore, the fact check by DFRAC clearly shows that the viral claim is misleading. However, in January 2025, Iraq’s parliament passed a law to lower the marriage age for women to 9-year-old. But, in February 2025, Iraq’s Supreme Court has suspended the law. Hence, the claim of current legal age for marriage of girls is in discussion at Supreme Court. Right now, it does not reflect the current legal status, making the claim as misleading.
Aayushi Rana 