The abduction of girls for forced marriage remains a troubling and persistent practice across Central Asia. While Kazakhstan has been progressively tightening its legal framework to better protect women’s rights, bride kidnapping continues to pose a serious human rights challenge throughout the region.

Fighting the Middle Ages?

Bride kidnapping has long been practiced in Central Asia and the Caucasus. In contemporary times, some instances are consensual, carried out as a form of cultural theatre to reduce the high cost of weddings in traditional societies. However, when carried out without the woman’s explicit permission, the ritual becomes a form of gender-based violence. Efforts to combat non-consensual bride kidnapping have been ongoing since the Soviet era, yet the practice endures.

According to some Kazakhstani legislators, the current laws are no longer adequate to address the full scope of the issue. The existing criminal code’s general provisions on abduction, they argue, fall short of tackling the specific dynamics of forced marriage.

Mazhilis Deputy Murat Abenov has proposed introducing explicit criminal liability for coercion into marriage. “Over the past three years, 214 complaints have been filed in Kazakhstan from people who were forced into marriage. Only ten of them reached court. Hundreds of criminal cases were simply closed,” Abenov stated. “Even though the girl proved that she had been kidnapped, that she had jumped out of the car, that force had been used against her, nothing could be done.”

New legislative amendments have been drafted and are expected to be debated in the Mazhilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament. The proposed law introduces a scale of penalties based on the severity of the offense. “There is administrative liability, there will be a large fine, and in serious cases where the girl is under 18 or where force is used or by a group of people, there will be more serious liability, up to criminal liability, five to seven years in prison,” Abenov explained. This new law could be enacted by the end of 2025.

Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Commissioner, Artur Lastaev, addressed the issue in February 2024 in the wake of a high-profile case in Shymkent. “The practice of kidnapping girls for the purpose of marriage is still widespread in our country, especially in the southern regions. In some cases, such actions result in sexual assault, humiliation, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and even suicide,” Lastaev stated.

“Saltanat’s Law” Written in Blood

In June 2024, Kazakhstan implemented a sweeping new law entitled “On Amendments to Ensure the Rights of Women and the Safety of Children.” Though years in the making, the law is colloquially known as “Saltanat’s Law,” named after Saltanat Nukenova, a young woman who was brutally murdered by her common-law husband, Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former senior government official.

In November 2023, Bishimbayev beat Nukenova over the course of a night in a restaurant in Astana. After she lost consciousness, he attempted to conceal the crime instead of seeking medical help. In May 2024, following a highly publicized trial, Bishimbayev was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

The new legislation significantly toughens penalties for domestic abusers and includes a dedicated section on crimes against minors. Notably, it introduces life imprisonment for acts of pedophilia. Dinara Zakieva, Kazakhstan’s Children’s Rights Commissioner, noted that the law has already led to an increase in domestic violence cases being prosecuted. “Although the problem is still far from being solved, the law has begun to take effect,” she said.

Enforcement Beyond Borders

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan also have criminal laws prohibiting abduction for the purpose of forced marriage. However, enforcement remains patchy, and societal attitudes continue to obscure the scale of the problem.

In Uzbekistan, a video posted in 2023 by Maryam Tillyaeva, granddaughter of former President Islam Karimov, sparked controversy. Tillyaeva described bride kidnapping as a component of Uzbek wedding traditions. The video was met with a massive backlash for romanticizing a harmful practice. While most sources confirm that arranged mock abductions exist in Uzbekistan, actual cases of forced marriage are rare and are generally prosecuted.

In Kyrgyzstan, public awareness is higher, and women have been more vocal. The local tradition of ala kachuu, literally “grab and run”, remains entrenched among proponents of patriarchal norms. Women who resist can be accused of betraying national traditions and often face threats. In one tragic case, a 20-year-old woman in Bishkek was kidnapped twice before being killed, prompting widespread protests. According to the United Nations, 13% of Kyrgyz women under 24 are married after being kidnapped. Often, the perpetrator’s entire family participates, men forcibly abducting the woman, while women in the household attempt to persuade her to stay.

Despite existing laws, prosecutions are rare. Of the roughly 200 complaints filed annually, only 5% result in prosecutions.