Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 15, 2024
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| Lawyer Ghasem Boedi |
Lawyer Ghasem Boedi spoke to VOA about the growing number of early marriages in Iran and their causes. Boedi, who currently lives in exile, was the head of a "marriage and divorce registration" center in Tabriz for nearly 20 years.
Boedi stated that in some cases, girls under the age of 13 are illegally married. However, according to him, girls aged 9 and above can officially marry with court approval.
"Legal professionals or those educated in sharia law take exams and, if they meet the requirements, they can obtain a state license to open a marriage and divorce registration office. In these centers, both religious marriages are conducted, and civil marriages are officially registered. The divorce process is also the same, but a court ruling is necessary for divorce," the lawyer explained.
He pointed out that the legal marriage age in Iran is 13 for girls and 15 for boys, adding that "for a girl under 13 to marry, in addition to the father’s consent, court approval is also required. Sometimes, to avoid this court approval, they go and have an unofficial marriage ceremony with, for example, a cleric. If this is discovered, those involved in this practice will face serious consequences."
Boedi emphasized that the number of early marriages has increased in recent years.
According to him, "arranging marriages at a young age has always existed, but it has been growing. In the past, it was more of a cultural issue, but the economic situation has always influenced it. However, in recent years, the increase has been largely due to economic conditions. That is, some families, due to economic hardship, cannot provide for their children. They see marriage as a solution to reduce their financial burden. But this marriage does not improve the girl's economic situation. Families believe that having one fewer child will ease their difficulties. They do not consider what will happen to the girl. In practice, we see many serious problems in such marriages within one or two years."
Boedi also stressed that government policies have significantly contributed to the rise in early marriages. "The state’s policies are such that, for example, they issue notifications. When there are marriages at younger ages, large bank loans are granted," he said.
He mentioned that girls aged 9 and older are married with a court decision.
"Our office was in Tabriz, a large city. However, even there, every month, we would register marriages of girls under 13. I’ve seen cases where girls as young as 9 were married by court decision, and I’ve registered them myself. In smaller cities, this number is much higher... They marry girls at ages when they don’t even know what marriage means. This leads to major problems after one or two years. The child’s childhood is destroyed. The person’s life and future are essentially ruined. These are all the results of the policies of the Islamic Republic," the lawyer added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Qasım Boedi: İranda erkən yaşda nikah halları yoxsulluq və dövlət siyasətləri səbəbilə artır