The inability of women to initiate and obtain a divorce and the dependency on the husbands’ cooperation to the dissolution of the religious marriage naturally places women in a vulnerable position. The unequal power arrangements between wives and husbands on divorce matters, enables husbands not only to gain control over their (ex-) wives ability to leave the relationship, but it also enables husbands to abuse and exploit their wives. The case of Aya illustrates the vulnerable position of trapped women:

Trapped women are thus in a vulnerable position and are at risk of abuse, violence and other forms of harmful practices such as extortion, intimate partner violence, honourrelated crimes and child abduction. Besides creating conditions that foster abuse of and violence against wives, situations of marital captivity may also create difficulties for spouses who attempt to leave a violent relationship and environment, as both spouses may still be expected to comply with their marital obligations. The existing marriage may then be used, by the violent spouse, to claim entitlements from the trapped wife. A situation of marital captivity may contribute to and exacerbate violence within the marriage.