Iraq's parliament ammended a law protecting girls against child marriage, now allowing brides as young as 9 years old.

Iraqi lawmakers have passed amendments that give courts more authority in family matters, the Associated Press reported, and critics are concerned the move may spark a rise in child marriages. Newsweek contacted Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment via email outside normal business hours.

Roughly three months after Iraqi lawmakers proposed a bill to slash the country’s legal age of consent from 18 to nine years old, Iraq’s parliament passed an amendment to the country’s personal status law that effectively legalises child marriage,