The following elements should be established as the core elements of any law on forced and child marriage:
- The free and full consent of both parties;
- A minimum age for marriage of 18 years of age for both parties;
- Recognition of and prohibition against the various forms of forced marriage and related harmful practices, including: child marriage, situations of sexual slavery and forced labor, bride kidnapping, trafficking of women and girls, wife inheritance, marriage as settlement or payment, international marriage brokering, and polygamy;
- A system for the registration of all marriages, births and deaths;
- Granting the same legal status to parties in customary and/or religious marriages as those in civil marriages;
- Criminal penalties for violation of the law;
- Civil remedies for victims;
- The legal consequences of a forced or child marriage (automatic annulment or right to no-fault divorce);
- Public education campaigns about human rights, women’s rights and laws on forced and child marriage aimed at raising awareness in both urban and rural areas; and
- Trainings for all relevant agencies; the legal sector, including judges, prosecutors, law enforcement; advocates; social services; education, and; third-sector support agencies regarding human rights standards on forced and child marriage.