Bride Kidnapping

Bride kidnapping is the act of abducting women and forcing them into marriage. These women - sometimes even girls, are victims of this crime.  In some countries, this process is even considered to be a form of “tradition”.  It occurs in around 17 countries all over the world ranging from Central Asia to Mexico to Africa. What makes it shocking is that according to a survey, 50% out of the 268 girls interviewed stated that they had never met their kidnappers before. This is because these abductors usually have a target, but once they fail to kidnap the girl they desire, they simply abduct a random girl walking on the street. Bride kidnapping can vary from consensual marriages to kidnap and rape.

These men, however, are not always the root of the problem. Parents usually put pressure on these men to find a wife and start a family; resulting in bride kidnapping. In other cases, some of them would rather abduct a woman than propose to her, to avoid facing the possibility of rejection. In China, where the population of men exceeds the population of women, some men hire kidnappers to abduct a woman from a nearby country to marry them. As we can see, bride kidnapping often happens in poor and rural areas because bride kidnapping is seen as a cheaper way of getting married compared to paying the dowry for the intended bride.

This tradition was once consensual, but as the years passed, this tradition has gone south; consensual marriages now lead to cases where women are often raped and left with no choice but to submit to the marriage because they would no longer be considered pure and would be too “tainted”. After a woman is abducted, she is often brought back to the home of the abductor’s family where female relatives of the abductor will force the victim to wear a white shawl over her head as a symbol of her submission in the marriage. In one instance, two 20-year-old students who were victims of this practice committed suicide.

Despite this, police officers often put aside and delay cases that link to bride kidnapping and avoid bringing it to court. In addition, criminal justice agencies such as prosecutors and judges view bride kidnapping as a culturally protected Kyrgyz tradition, therefore failing to enforce the law. However, last year, the President of Kyrgyzstan increased the maximum jail term from 3 years to 7 years and if the victim is younger than 17 years old, the maximum jail term can go up to 10 years.

Reports must be made for it to be a crime, but women are often too afraid to report to the police fearing that it would shame her family’s name and very often these women are left with no legal advice to defend themselves. Moreover, family members of the victim might also accept gifts from the abductor’s family in exchange to keep quiet. Societal pressures and threats from kidnappers also play a part in stopping victims from reporting to the police.

According to a survey done in April, the majority of participants did not know what bride kidnapping was. Therefore, we can start spreading awareness across the globe and fight for the freedom of bodily integrity, freedom from violence and freedom of movement for these women. It is a priority that these women can lead an independent and free life, where they will not be denied their basic human rights.

Written by Deborah Lee
South Australian Matriculation