Temporary Marriage as a Vehicle for Human Trafficking: A Study of the Practice of Temporary Marriage among Syrian Refugees

Abstract

In-person trafficking reports and recent journalism on temporary marriage in refugee camps raise concerns about the exploitative nature of such marriages. This exploratory thesis examines the temporary marriage of refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. First, the research explores the profile of eloped refugees in temporary marriage. Second, it explores the institutional factors that allow the exploitation of refugees via temporary marriage. Last, based on the United Nations definition of human trafficking, the thesis explores how and under what conditions temporary marriage of refugees becomes human trafficking. Applying the elements of human trafficking to the analysis makes it evident that the temporary marriage of refugees to men from the host and Gulf nations under most conditions constitutes trafficking in persons. Furthermore, the findings suggest that traffickers target ethnic and religious minority women and girls, underage girls, and widows and that governmental and non-governmental intuitions play a vital role in the growth of temporary marriages. The thesis concludes and recommends that temporary marriages of refugees be considered prima facie as trafficking.