La Strada Documentation Center

Comparative Analysis of the Legal and Policy Landscape on (Trafficking for the Exploitation of) Forced Marriage Across Europe

Document number
3631
Date
25/11/2025
Title
Comparative Analysis of the Legal and Policy Landscape on (Trafficking for the Exploitation of) Forced Marriage Across Europe
Author/publisher
La Strada International & IMPACT
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Keywords
Forced Marriage, Human Trafficking, Child Marriage, EU Anti-Trafficking Directive, EU VAW Directive
Summary
This comparative study covers 38 European countries, including all 27 EUMS, mapping how forced marriage is regulated, criminalised, and enforced, and under which conditions its exploitation might become human trafficking. The study concludes that European countries have, to varying degrees, criminalised forced marriage within their national legal systems, while not necessarily recognising it as a form of exploitation within the trafficking in human beings legislation.