Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan

[Daco Celtic]

In rural Kyrgyzstan men still marry their women the old-fashioned way: by abducting them off the street and forcing them to be their wife. Bride kidnapping is a supposedly ancient custom that's made a major comeback since the fall of Communism and now accounts for nearly half of all marriages in some parts. We traveled to the Kyrgyz countryside to follow a young groom named Kubanti as he surprised his teenage girlfriend Nazgul with the gift of marriage/kidnapping.

[El_Abominacion]

[Daco Celtic]

Call me uptight but I think dates are better than bride kidnapping.

[Dr_Maul]

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[Dr_Maul]

Although seriously, I don’t see what’s stopping them from making it outright illegal. Yes, some people would protest about tradition and so but this is just wrong m8

[Freeroostah]

From what I've heard it's more like a ritual rather than straightforward abduction but there are always people who exploit it I guess

[mutabor]

Although seriously, I don’t see what’s stopping them from making it outright illegal. Yes, some people would protest about tradition and so but this is just wrong m8

Bride kidnapping is illegal in Kyrgyzstan.

[Dr_Maul]

Bride kidnapping is illegal in Kyrgyzstan.

Well Non Government associations estimate that between 40%-70% of all marriages in Kyrgyzstan are via bride kidnapping. If the government really cared about the fact that it was illegal than I'm sure they would do something about roughly half of their female population effectively being kidnapped/raped

[Sacrificed Ram]

It is the correct way of marriage, to marry woman from other tribes or villages prevents deleterious genetic problems of closed endogamy.

[mutabor]

Well Non Government associations estimate that between 40%-70% of all marriages in Kyrgyzstan are via bride kidnapping. If the government really cared about the fact that it was illegal than I'm sure they would do something about roughly half of their female population effectively being kidnapped/raped

If you say that to Kyrgyz people that 40-70% of all marriages in Kyrgyzstan are via bride kidnapping they will be very surprised. Because most of Kyrgyz people don't even know that bride kidnapping even exists. Maybe in some very remote rural areas where police is absent such cases can happen.

Also provide a link where did you get that information.

In my life I have never heard about a single case of bride kidnapping here in Kazakhstan. And we have similar traditions as Kyrgyz people. Of course some criminal activities can happen.