Serbia is working on an initiative to amend family law to define and recognize child marriage as a form of human trafficking, as 22-50% of Serbian Romane girls are married before the age of 18 years old.
A recent UNICEF report revealed that more than half of girls from Roma settlements in Serbia and 22% of girls from low-income families marry before the age of 18. Even more worryingly, 16% of Roma girls marry before the age of 15 and 5% give birth at this age.
As usual, take these percentages with a pinch of salt. These usually refer to the Roma that are recorded as such, not to all Roma.
- La Serbie va qualifier le mariage d’enfants de traite des êtres humains. In; Euractiv. 12.04.2023. https://www.euractiv.fr/section/justice-affaires-interieures/news/la-serbie-va-qualifier-le-mariage-denfants-de-traite-des-etres-humains/