Misleading: Viral video does not show nine-year-old child bride in Iraq; she is his niece
A video showing a man kissing a young girl on the lips began circulating online in early April with claims that it depicts a marriage between an adult man and a nine-year-old girl in Iraq (Annie Lab has blocked the girl’s face in those images to protect her identity).
Different versions of the same video have been shared with similar claims; for example, one post had superimposed text that read, “Marriage with a 9-year-old was permitted in Iraq.” One X post in Simplified Chinese claimed, “In most Muslim societies, marriage with a nine-year-old is permitted,” and received 1,300 likes and 288 reposts.
Another post in English with an angry emoji and similar claims garnered 10,000 likes and 6,500 reposts. Most reactions expressed outrage, although some users questioned the validity of the claims. This video has also circulated on Facebook and Instagram with the same claim.
However, the video has nothing to do with Muslims in Iraq or child marriage.
Two social media handles are visible in the viral video; one led to an Instagram account belonging to a Russian-speaking woman. After reviewing the posts and tags on her account, Annie Lab found several photographs of the man and the girl, along with other guests who appeared to be dressed for a wedding.
From this account, we found numerous videos and photos (for example, here, here, here and here) indicating that the groom in the video married an adult bride.
The video in question is no longer available on the user’s profile. However, the user posted a new version (archived here) on her account after the claim had gone viral, with an overlay text in Russian that reads, “Uncle and his niece.”
The Instagram post went on to say, “Those who post without consent and write dirty things, may you be cursed” (a Russian native speaker assisted us with translation).
Annie Lab reached out to her on Instagram, and she confirmed that she is the aunt of the girl seen in the video. The man in the video is her brother and the girl’s uncle, she said, adding that the family is Roma and Christian.
Further supporting the family’s background, the aunt shared an Instagram story, saved in her highlights, displaying her driver’s license, which indicates she is from Stavropol Krai, Russia (we decided not to include a link to the said Instagram story for privacy reasons).
Additional story highlights (here and here) feature Orthodox Christian churches, Bible verses, and religious imagery, displaying their Christian faith.
The second Instagram handle visible on the video turned out to be that of a wedding video business based in Russia.
Although the original video was no longer available on the business’s page, we found other videos (such as here and here; archived here and here) featuring the same couple at a wedding ceremony.
Child marriage concerns in Iraq
While the viral video does not depict a child marriage and the family involved is Romani Christian, not Muslim, child marriage remains a significant issue in Iraq.
Recent amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law have raised concerns among human rights groups, as they could allow girls as young as nine to marry under certain religious interpretations, according to Human Rights Watch and the U.S. Law Library of Congress.
Alt News, an Indian fact-checking organization, has also fact-checked this claim.
