Ward of the State
Wards of the State were slaves in the Kingdom of Attilan.
Adulthood, and the ability to participate in Attilanian society as a full citizen, was inherently linked to developing powers after undergoing Terrigenesis.
Those who underwent the ritual and did not develop powers were legally considered to remain children until their deaths. Parents could choose to retain unpowered individuals in their household as dependant children, or they could give up responsibility for the individual to the Attilanian State, hence the term Ward of the State.
Despite the short life expectancy and brutal treatment of Wards of the State, giving up unpowered children to the State was seen as a moral action in Attilanian society, being regarded as a sacrifice for the sake of the greater good. The belief in the inherent morality of giving up individual liberty for the collective good was so widespread in Attilan that was not unheard of for unpowered individuals to volunteer to become Wards, in order to serve their people.
Current Status
Many Wards of the State were killed during the destruction of Attilan, due to mine collapses. The status of those Wards who managed to escape to Earth was hotly debated, but freeing them was made a condition of Avengers Idea Mechanics' assistance in establishing New Attilan.Some surviving Wards chose to leave and live among humans, but many moved to New Attilan. Some did this in order to be close to former family, or because they retained a belief in Attilanian collectivism, but in most cases this was due to language barriers, immigration restrictions, and lack of resources needed to move elsewhere. Mistreatment of former Wards has been one of the primary sources of conflict between Attilanians and NuHumans.
One of the first actions of President Chen after election was to enshrine legal protection for former Wards into law, and to set up a fund to assist with education and training for former Wards, who had been denied access to higher education or professional training in Attilan.
In 2018, the former Queen Regnant of the Inhumans, Medusa, issued an official apology for the mistreatment suffered by Wards under her family's rule.
Perception
Purpose
Wards of the State performed jobs considered too dangerous or menial to be given to full citizens, primarily mining and construction. In some eras, they were also used as attendants to the Royal Family and Genetic Council.
Social Status
Wards of the State had almost no rights; almost the only legal protections they had was against being killed or sexually assulted, but in practise this was rarely enforced.
Prejudice against Wards was extreme, and in some eras they were considered to be closer to animals than Inhumans. At other times, they were considered to be mentally equivilent to children, and fearmongering around their supposed lack of self-control was common.
Interactions between free citizens and Wards were highly taboo in most eras, especially interactions between female citizens and male Wards, due to the belief that Wards possessed the sexual urges of adults but the self-control of children.
As well as hard labour and corporal punishment, in some eras the eugenecist ideas of Attilan lead to forced sterilsation of Wards of the State.