Should Forced Marriages be Categorised as ‘Sexual Slavery’ or ‘Other Inhumane Acts’ in International Criminal Law?

Gender-based crimes occur to this day in armed conflicts across the globe. Forced marriages were rife in Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and Uganda, and a debate has emerged as to how they should be categorised in international criminal law (ICL). The main question this paper examines is: should forced marriages be categorised as ‘sexual slavery’ or ‘other inhumane acts’ in ICL? The principle of nullum crimen sine lege (the NCSL principle), is used as a tool by which judgments from international criminal tribunals and the ICC can be objectively assessed. Judges have generally held that it is more appropriate, in line with the NCSL principle, to categorise forced marriages as ‘other inhumane acts’. However, the paper finds that they are relying on authorities which are competent in an international human rights law (IHRL) context, but are not directly transferrable to ICL. The paper illuminates the broader debate between certainty and development in ICL and demonstrates how the tribunals and the ICC have attempted to strike a balance in cases involving forced marriages. It seeks to provide a solution which ensures that perpetrators of forced marriages in armed conflict are convicted and justice is served and respects both certainty and IHRL.