In Iran, young girls are able to legally marry at the age of thirteen; however, this can be overridden by judges and parents to allow girls to marry as young as the age of nine.

According to the Huffington Post, there can often be extreme psychological risks in marrying young. A study conducted and reported in the Journal of Pediatrics found that those who marry younger than the age of eighteen are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. The risk for mental health disorders increases by 41% when marrying under the age of 18.

The problem of child marriage in Iran continuously worsens. Last year, over 40,000 young girls under the age of fifteen were married off. The reality of this number is actually much greater as not all marriages are legally registered. This number continues to increase yearly.

Although most of these girls are under the legal age limit of 13, they are still able to marry as long as their father consents and a judge grants permission. This process is completed faster and more easily than one would believe due to the country’s overarching religious beliefs. 90-95% of Iranians associate with the Shi’a portion of the Islamic religion. The Sharia law, the law associated with the Shi’a portion of the Islamic religion, is incredibly meaningful to its followers and believers. The Sharia law is based on reading from the Quran and the Hadith: texts that convey the beliefs and quotes from Islamic prophets and their God. These texts state that "any father marrying his daughter so young will have a place in heaven." Supporting the tradition and encouragement of marrying of children at a young age, the religion still puts pressure on this today. In a developing country, such as Iran, tradition and religious practices are especially prominent. 

Iran has laws that condone the marriage of children at the age of thirteen and make it more difficult for wives to divorce their husbands. This combination of laws forces women to feel inferior to men and out of control in their personal lives; however, the laws are still in existence because the Shi’a religion encourages them. The religious Islamic books state that “it is better for a girl to marry when her menstruation starts, and at her husband's house rather than her father's home.” The encouragement of child marriage and divinity forces fathers to desire to marry off their children. The idea of marrying their young daughters is religiously appealing to fathers for their place in heaven, for wealth from her future husband, and for her husband releasing the father of his ‘burden’ of his daughter since religiously the father is responsible for his daughter’s purity until marriage. 

Overall, child marriage needs to be eradicated as it encourages and actively practices oppression of women and women's rights, rape, and psychological affects. I would encourage you to sign this petition to spread awareness of the growing issue of child marriage.