In this powerful episode of The Italian Uncut, we expose the real, measurable cost of the 2003 invasion. The West searched for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) that were never found, but something far more devastating was unleashed: a global plague of child marriage, accelerated by political chaos.

We prove the link: war causes state collapse, which destroys secular law, breeding poverty and child exploitation. We dissect how the progressive Iraqi Personal Status Law of 1959—which set the marriage age at 18—became vulnerable and was subsequently attacked by internal forces after the US-led intervention created a vacuum of power and security. The result? A controversial amendment, approved in January 2025, now permits marriage for girls as young as nine years old, dictated by sectarian religious law.

This is not tradition resurfacing; it’s a direct consequence of the political chaos unleashed by foreign powers. We look at the rise in child marriages since Saddam Hussein's fall and contextualize Iraq's tragedy within the wider global crisis, revealing how the poorest children pay the ultimate price for geopolitical meddling. Hear the facts that shatter the 'exporting democracy' narrative.