The preliminary findings of a European Union study on gender equality in Kyrgyzstan show that about one out of every five marriages in Kyrgyzstan involves “bride kidnapping”.

Bride kidnapping, or an act of abduction for the purpose of forced marriage, is particularly common in rural areas in Kyrgyzstan.  The practice is not limited to Kyrgyzstan, however. According to a recent report published by the rights organization Equality Now, instances of forced marriage occur, albeit on a smaller scale than in Kyrgyzstan, in other Central Asian nations.    

More broadly, child marriage, or unions that often involve coercion concerning a girl under the age of 18, “remains a persistent challenge across Eurasia,” the report states, especially in areas with high poverty rates.

Kyrgyzstan reportedly registered a 13 percent rate, followed by Azerbaijan with an 11 percent rate and Tajikistan with 9 percent.  The other three states covered in the report were Russia (a 6 percent rate), Armenia (5 percent) and Uzbekistan (3.4 percent).

The data likely undercounts the number of child marriages because official statistics tend to record only civil marriages, not religious ceremonies, according to the report.

The data shows that child marriage has experienced significant declines in recent decades in Georgia and Uzbekistan.  Over the past two decades, the child marriage rate in Georgia has decreased from 27 percent to 14 percent.  In Uzbekistan, the Presidential Statistics Agency reported 4,786 marriages involved girls under 18 in 2018; in 2022, the number reportedly stood at 74.

All the countries covered in the Equality Now survey have statutes setting the minimum age for marriage at 18.  But the rules feature lots of loopholes. Likewise, bride kidnapping and other forms of forced marriage are crimes in all the states, but “weak and ineffective enforcement of legislation, particularly in rural and remote areas, is a major challenge across the seven countries,” the report asserts, citing a “lack of political will,” along with “cultural, religious and societal attitudes,” as major obstacles.

Economic factors act as a major driver of child marriage in Eurasia, the report states. “Poverty, bride price, and dowry practices can incentivize child marriage, as families may see it as a means of financial relief or security,” it notes.

According to Tajikistan’s Committee for Women and Family’s Affairs, the country last year recorded 55 cases of illegal marriages involving girls who had not reached the legal marriage age.  This is 18 cases more than in 2023.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against their parents under Article 169 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code -- marriage with a person who has not reached the legal marriage age.  This article prescribes a fine ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 calculation indicators (current 1 calculation indicator equals to 75.00 somonis) or corrective labor for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for up to five years.

Additionally, 771 cases of marriage age reduction by court decision were recorded last year, 31 cases fewer than in the previous year.

The Family Code of Tajikistan sets the age of marriage at 18 years. The minimum age can be lowered by one year in exceptional cases by a court decision.