forced and early marriage

In the case Association for Social Justice Research v. Union of India, a public interest petition was filed after an 11–12-year-old girl was allegedly married off by her father to a much older man. When the girl was found and medically examined, her age was assessed to be between 16 and 18. She told the Court she had married voluntarily and denied any money was exchanged.

The applicant, who was born to a mother in slavery, was sold to a local chief at age 12. For the next nine years she was subjected to rape, violence, and forced labor without remuneration. When Niger’s Supreme Court failed to convict her "owner" under Article 270.1-5 of the Nigerien Criminal Code, which made slavery illegal in 2003, the applicant brought her case before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice under Article 9(4) of the Supplementary Protocol A/SP.1/01/05.