Iraqi National Day Boycott Call Highlights Concerns Over Women’s Rights

A call to refrain from celebrating Iraq’s National Day has drawn attention to objections to the Jaafari personal status code, amid concerns over women’s rights, child custody and the marriage of minors.

The message, “We do not celebrate a country that wrongs half its people,” links the national occasion to the treatment of women. It frames their rights as a reason to withhold participation in celebrations.

Objections to the code centre on its implications for women and children in family matters. Custody and underage marriage are among the issues driving concern about the protections available to them.

The call places those concerns within a wider debate over the reality of women’s rights in Iraq. Rather than treating National Day solely as a moment of celebration, it urges attention to the inequalities its message condemns.