Ciara Kelly: In Iraq the age of consent for girls may soon be nine. In Afghanistan women have been banned from speaking aloud. Why are we not out marching?

At age nine, children are still navigating foundational life experiences, from losing teeth to singing off-key in school plays, yet some are facing dire legal decisions regarding marriage.

In an alarming shift, proposed legal changes in Iraq would allow nine-year-old girls not only to marry but to consent to sexual activities, often robbing them of their childhood.

While one in 12 nine-year-olds wet the bed and one in five face frequent nightmares, many girls in the Middle East are denied basic education, compounding their challenges.

This legal change highlights a stark contrast in childhood experiences, whereby some girls are pushed into adulthood at a tender age, forsaking their educational and emotional development.

Read at Independent