Slovakia

There is no publicly available government data on child marriage in Slovakia.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

There is limited information on child marriage in Slovakia, but available studies suggest that is exacerbated by:

Ethnicity: It has been reported by law enforcement officers that there has been an increase in the number of child marriage cases amongst Slovak children of Romani descent. Reports state that these children are being forced to marry young by their parents/guardians for financial gain. A 2014 study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights shows that around 2% of Roma girls aged 10-15 are traditionally married or cohabiting with a partner across 11 European Union member states, including Slovakia. 16% of Roma boys and girls aged 16-17 are legally or traditionally married or cohabiting across the 11 states.

Slovakia has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The government submitted a Voluntary National Review at the 2023 High Level Political Forum; however, there was no mention of child marriage.

Slovakia co-sponsored the following Human Rights Council resolutions: the 2013 procedural resolution on child, early and forced marriage, the 2015 resolution on child, early and forced marriage, the 2017 resolution on recognising the need to address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian contexts, the 2019 resolution on the consequences of child marriage, the 2021 resolution on child, early and forced marriage in times of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 resolution on ending and preventing forced marriage.. In 2014, Slovakia also signed a joint statement at the Human Rights Council calling for a resolution on child marriage.

Slovakia co-sponsored the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage.

Slovakia succeeded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993, which the Committee on the Rights of the Child has interpreted to recommend the establishment of a minimum age of marriage of 18, and succeeded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

During its 2023 review, the CEDAW Committee expressed concern that forced marriages of Roma girls and women have been acknowledged but not prosecuted as a trafficking crime. The Committee recommended that the government amend the criminal code to increase the penalties for human trafficking and criminalise the purchase of sex services from victims of trafficking. Further, the Committee recommended that the government provide capacity enhancement for law enforcement officials, border patrol officials, judges and prosecutors to ensure the identification of victims of trafficking.

At the London Girl Summit in 2014, the government signed a charter committing to end child marriage by 2020.

Under the Law on Family 2005 the minimum legal age of marriage is 18 years. However under Article 13 the court can permit a marriage in exceptional circumstances for parties aged 16-18.

Under Article 179 of the Criminal Code, forced marriage is considered a form of trafficking and is criminalised.