Ala kachuu means «take and run», but is feely interpreted as «bride kidnapping».
Not everyone understands what lies behind this expression, preferring to romanticize the terrible act. When a person comes across the phrase «bride kidnapping», then the imagination obligingly offers scenes from dime novels. He is handsome, brave, a real knight, she is beautiful, tender, the love of his life. But the cruel world has risen against them and he decides under the cover of night, outwitting the evil fate, to steal the lady of his heart to live with her in love and harmony till death do them part.
But life, as a rule, develops according to a scenario that is different from the Indian Bollywood soap operas.
Wikipedia interprets ala kachuu as a Kyrgyz custom, but with an explanation — «the term can apply to a variety of actions, ranging from consensual elopement to a non-consensual kidnapping of a girl». And this is not romance, it is a crime.
Since the beginning of the year, 25 abductions of girls for marriage have been registered in Kyrgyzstan.
The punishment for ala kachuu was toughened in 2019, during the adoption of new criminal legislation. Now, one can get up to 10 years in prison for the kidnapping of a girl for the purpose of marriage.
The basis for the introduction of such a harsh prison term was two high-profile cases. 19-year-old Burulai Turdalieva was killed in May 2018. She was abducted by some Mars Bodoshev. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. And the killer of Aizada Kanatbekova, who was kidnapped in April 2021, could not be punished. The criminal, having strangled the girl, committed suicide. But even these blood-chilling stories have not helped. Girls continue to be grabbed in broad daylight in the streets and forcibly dragged down the aisle.
If in cities, especially in Bishkek and Osh, it is still somehow possible to prevent a misfortune and rescue a poor girl from the clutches of a «dzhigit in love», then in villages the kidnapped girl has practically no chance.
If the girl even manages to escape from the «bridegroom», she will not be allowed to return to her father’s house. A «runaway bride» is a stigma for the family. The girl’s fate is unenviable. She will either be brought back to her tormentor, or chased off the porch, so that she will never come back and bring shame upon the family. The logic is simple: «you spent the night with a man, you were spoiled, who will marry you now?».
The victim of ala kachuu finds herself alone with her troubles: without help from family, friends, or money. There are, of course, crisis centers and certified psychologists specially trained to work with victims of bride kidnapping and family violence. But they still need to be reached. There are no such «crisis centers» or «hotlines» in a small town or village. And if there are, girls may not even know about them. It is not customary to talk about it at home. It would not even come to a villager’s mind to look up something in her gadgets about some shrinks just in case, and, besides, she has no time for that.
In case of kidnapping, one can go to the police. But it will be perceived as a disgrace. In the provinces, people are terribly afraid of publicity and live by the principle «el emne deit» — "what people will say". In such a situation, going to the district police officer is like announcing to the whole village that you have lost your virginity being unmarried.
No investigation will start without a statement. It turns out to be a vicious circle. And the toughening of criminal responsibility will not break it.
Until people realize that ala kachuu is not a beautiful folk custom, but a crime, and a very cruel one at that, the problem will not be solved. We can imprison kidnappers for life, but if people do not realize that a girl cannot be forced into marriage, kidnappings will continue.
