How and when child marriage can be defined as slavery?
Child marriage can be said to
be slavery, primarily if the following elements are present: firstly, if the
child has not genuinely given their free and informed consent to enter the
marriage; secondly, if the child is subjected to control and a sense of “ownership”
in the marriage itself, particularly through abuse and threats, and is
exploited by being forced to undertake domestic chores within the marital home
or labour outside it, and/or engage in non-consensual sexual relations; and
thirdly, if the child cannot realistically leave or end the marriage, leading
potentially to a lifetime of slavery.
