A new law proposed by ultra conservative Shia Muslim parties in Iraq is on the brink of being passed. Not only is it demanding that the age of consent for girls be lowered from 18 to 9 years of age (!), but it will also strip girls and women of many rights. If this law is passed women will lose the right to divorce, inheritance and child custody. Mothers will not be able to protect their young daughters from a life of abuse and trauma. There are feminist groups such as Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq on the ground working to protect women and girls. More progressive governments like the Dutch and Australian governments support these groups financially so that they can continue to help women and girls in various ways. 

The suffering that girls will experience is unfathomable. More needs to be done by governments to either prevent this from happening or to support those who are trying to counteract the implications.