Sexual slavery refers to the systematic enslavement of individuals for sexual purposes, forcing them to perform sexual acts against their will. It involves controlling a person through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation. When perpetrated as part of a systematic attack against a civilian population, sexual slavery is a crime against humanity triable at the International Criminal Court. If perpetrated in association with an armed conflict, it is also punishable as a war crime.
[Last updated in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]