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Photo courtesy of Open Line |
2011 November
7-In 2009, on her way home from university, Vulkan was abducted by a man who
wanted her for his wife and imprisoned in his house. When she tried to escape,
a female relative of the “groom” threatened that she would be cursed if she
dared step over the threshold to leave. Vulkan now reluctantly lives with her
abductor as his wife, having been forced to give up university and any thought
of a job, and is determined never to allow any sons she may have to kidnap a
bride.
There are an estimated 11,500-16,500 girls kidnapped to become brides every
year in
Culturally, the stigma attached to an unmarried girl spending a night with
a man (whether or not there is rape) is too much for both victims of bride
kidnapping and their parents, and many reluctantly agree to the marriage.
Ainura, kidnapped in 2010, was told by her mother “you must stay here otherwise
you dishonor me and yourself.” Some parents agree to accept money and
gifts from the kidnapper in exchange for a promise not to go to the police. For
some victims, the kidnapping and subsequent forced marriage is too much to
bear. Tragically, in 2010, two young women committed suicide in
Aziza’s husband succeeded in his third attempt to kidnap her. He regularly
raped and beat her and prevented her from leaving the house or seeing her
family. Ready to commit suicide, she finally managed to escape only to be found
by her husband who publicly beat her and left her naked in the street,
threatening to sell her into slavery. Aziza currently lives with her mother and
brother.
Bride kidnapping is a form of violence against women. It violates women and
girls’ rights to bodily integrity, freedom of movement and freedom from
violence. It leads to forced marriage and often repeated rape, servitude and
denial of educational and other opportunities.
Article 13 (4) of Kyrgyzstan’s constitution guarantees that “men and women
have equal rights and freedoms and equal opportunities for their realization”
and under the Kyrgyz Criminal Code, it is an offense to force a woman into
marriage or to kidnap a woman for a marriage against her will. Such crimes can
result in up to five years’ imprisonment. However, criminal justice agencies,
including the police, prosecutors and judges, often view bride kidnapping as a
culturally protected Kyrgyz tradition, and they fail to enforce the law.
Women’s rights activists have found that where a complaint is registered with
the police, investigating officials have been known to frequently discontinue
or delay the process in order to ensure the case does not reach court. Victims
have reported that investigators often take bribes from the accused to pressure
the victim to withdraw her complaint. Societal pressures and threats from the
kidnapper and his family also mean that victims are often too afraid to report
a kidnapping. There are no government programs to publicize the law or to
provide legal advice to affected women. This is particularly crucial in rural
areas where most cases of bride kidnapping occur and where few are aware of or
can access their rights.
Under the Article 23 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR) to which
*All names of victims
have been changed in order to protect their identities