They
call it ala kachuu, or “grab and run.” In Kyrgyzstan, as many as 40% of
ethnic Kyrgyz women are married after being kidnapped by the men who
become their husbands, according to a local NGO. Two-thirds of these
bride kidnappings are non-consensual—in some cases, a “kidnapping” is
part of a planned elopment—and while the practice has been illegal since
1994, authorities largely look the other way. Typically, a would-be
groom gathers a group of young men, and together they drive around
looking for a woman he wants to marry. The unsuspecting woman is often
literally dragged off the street, bundled into the car and taken
straight to the man’s house—where frequently the family will have
already started making preparations for the wedding.
Once the girls are inside the kidnapper’s home, female elders play a
key role in persuading her to accept the marriage. They try to cover the
girl’s head with a white scarf, symbolizing that she is ready to wed
her kidnapper. After hours of struggle, around 84% of kidnapped women
end up agreeing to the nuptials. (The rest manage to get back home.) The
kidnapee’s parents often also pressure the girl, as once she has
entered her kidnapper’s home she is considered to be no longer pure,
making it shameful for her to return home. In order to avoid disgrace,
many women tend to remain with their kidnappers
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