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15-Year-Old Killed for Rejecting Forced Marriage in Iraq

5/15/2026

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Summary

Story summary

15-year-old Kawthar Bashar Al-Husayjawi was killed in the Nahrawan area east of Baghdad after refusing an arranged marriage.
Feminist platform videos allegedly show her family celebrating the killing.
Her mother filed a murder complaint while authorities have not commented.
Iraq’s 2025 amendment to the 1959 Personal Status Law, which permits marriage from age nine, is cited as weakening child-abuse protections.

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Story summary

15-year-old Kawthar Bashar Al-Husayjawi was killed in the Nahrawan area east of Baghdad after refusing an arranged marriage.
Feminist platform videos allegedly show her family celebrating the killing.
Her mother filed a murder complaint while authorities have not commented.
Iraq’s 2025 amendment to the 1959 Personal Status Law, which permits marriage from age nine, is cited as weakening child-abuse protections.