Bride Kidnapping

Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan

Prepared by: Bermet Kanybekova Reviewed by: Mr. Alan White

Bishkek 2011

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Contents

Introduction……………………………………….....................1 The History of Bride Kidnapping..........................................3 Bride Kidnapping during the Soviet Era.............................7 Bride Kidnapping Today....................................................10 Different Cases of Bride Kidnapping................................19 Laws on Bride Kidnapping.................................................24 Works Cited……………………….........................................30

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Introduction

Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, located in Central Asia, today faces many political, economic, and social issues. Perhaps one of the most serious and controversial of these concerns is bride kidnapping, the process of abducting a woman and forcing her to marry a stranger. Despite a law passed in 1994, declaring bride kidnapping illegal, it is still a common occurrence in Kyrgyzstan that affects society, the lives of women, and threatens young ladies.

The process of bride kidnapping can include several other crimes such as abduction, physical force, rape, domestic abuse, and forced marriage. In spite of the fact that this action, which is usually regarded as one single crime, actually consists of a variety of offences, it often goes unpunished and is hardly ever recognized as problematic in the country. Today, bride kidnapping is oppressing the growth of Kyrgyzstan while completely violating the rights of young women.

Regardless of this reality, the Kyrgyz people still consider bride kidnapping a national tradition, and it is practiced country-wide. The older generation believes it is one of the traditions that connects people with the myth that men and women can be happy eventually once women overcome their hardships. They believe that a girl becomes happy through tears, and once they grow used to their new...