Tipare de aplicare a legii penale în jurisprudența din România conexă cutumei mariajelor timpurii
Patterns of the application of the criminal prescriptions in the Romanian case-law connected to the custom of child marriage

Summary/Abstract: The study focuses on the relationship between justice and diversity in Romania. More specifically, I investigate the recent criminal jurisprudence derived from the custom of child marriage practiced by some Roma communities. The purpose of the analysis is to discover potential patterns in how the judges deal with cultural identity when a tradition appears to be relevant for the case prima facie, but at the same time it represents a violation of children's rights, personal autonomy and gender equality. In an interdisciplinary approach, I determine if the verdicts are in favor or against the tradition, and if they lead to a de facto use of the cultural defense. I explore the Romanian case-law on child marriage, through the lenses of liberal multiculturalism and liberal feminism, focusing on the consequences of applying the cultural defense in this specific controversial situation. As a conclusion, I attempt to find and propose a solution de lege ferenda with the potential of clarifying priorities when there is tension between the legal system, the preservation of cultural identity and the rights of the most vulnerable members of traditional communities.

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