Navigating Legal and Cultural Intersections: The Impact of Law on Minority Traditions and Identity

Abstract

States should establish in their legislations protective mechanisms which, on the one hand, guarantee the realisation of the rights of the majority and, on the other hand, ensure respect for the traditions, culture and customs of national and ethnic minorities. In Poland there are such guarantees that ensure that minorities can live in accordance with their own traditions and customs, also at the highest normative level. In addition to the legal sphere, one should not forget the equally important sphere of social life, which for some people is even more important. The issue of early marriage in the Roma community is an exemplification of the problem that can be caused by the interference of subject law norms with the centuries-old traditions and customs of a particular national or ethnic group.