The tradition of bride kidnapping, which abuses 15,000 women annually in Kyrgyzstan, consists of men kidnapping and sometimes raping their victims as a means of forcing women into marriage.
The family of the abducted girl often do not allow their daughter to return to the family, whether she has been raped or not, for shame that her virginity has been taken.
Bride kidnapping is currently illegal, but rarely enforced. Perpetrators are often given meager sentences; while abduction is normally up to 10 years in prison, bride abductors are given up to three years due to its recognition as a cultural tradition.
President Roza Otunbayeva, in her last days of Kyrgyzstan presidency, has said the tradition must end.
Stand with Kyrgyzstan president against bride kidnapping!
We the undersigned would like to demonstrate our support for your campaign to end bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan.
Though is may be marked with tradition, bride kidnapping has too long abused women and girls into forced marriages.
The use of manipulation and rape does not constitute an acceptable beginning to a happy marriage, but a foundation in which men are allowed to emotionally and physically dominate their wives.
Those who commit bride kidnapping should also be given an appropriate sentence despite it's cultural meaning.
We thank you for bringing this very important issue into light and we support you in your endeavor.
