When is – and isn’t— forced marriage a form of modern slavery? To answer this controversial question, this Workshop explores the range of types of forced marriages – from customary forced marriages, to mail-order-brides, and abducted “wives” of armed fighters – in relation to competing legal definitions and conceptual debates about slavery. Participants will work toward a comprehensive understanding and definition of conjugal slavery which addresses the intersection between slavery and the broader issue of forced marriage, compare the suitability of rights-based slavery laws and prosecution-based trafficking laws in cases of conjugal slavery, gain insights into the working of slavery, human rights and trafficking laws more generally, and engage in current debates about modern slavery and about different approaches to ending it.
This workshop is limited to graduate students. Registration required. Please email Diane Cohen (drc51@pitt.edu). Light refreshments will be served.