According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, last year, 11 criminal cases were opened in Kyrgyzstan for the abduction of women and girls for the purpose of marriage, and 29 — for violations of the law on the age of marriage during religious rites. The Ombudsman’s report «On the State of Human and Civil Rights and Freedoms in 2024» says.
It is clarified that the legal age of marriage in the republic is 18 years. The nikah ceremony is also permitted from the age of 18.
Those who perform the ceremony with minors are subject to criminal penalties from three to five years in prison.
Abducting girls for the purpose of forced marriage is a criminal offense. Despite legal prohibitions, cases of early marriages and early childbirth still occur. Last year, the Ombudsman’s Institute conducted a questionnaire survey among students from three schools in Suzak district of Jalal-Abad region, with 135 girls from grades 8-10 participating.
«During the survey, 47.2 percent of respondents noted the problem of early marriage in their area. Furthermore, 59 students systematically skip classes. This is due to parents’ belief that educating girls is inappropriate, economic difficulties, and the imposed belief that early marriage is necessary. The monitoring found that 21 underage marriages were registered in Suzak district in the first nine months of 2024,» the report states.
Human rights activists emphasize that early marriage has a negative impact on girls’ rights and health, their education, and their social status. Girls who marry early in unequal relationships are more vulnerable to domestic and sexual violence and are often prone to complications during pregnancy and childbirth, including mortality, due to their immature bodies. Access to quality health care for girls is limited, as such cases are often concealed.
Early marriage leads to the cessation of education, deprives girls of opportunities for personal development and interaction with peers, and reduces their chances of obtaining decent employment and social well-being later in life.
According to the report, forced marriages can take various forms: from bride kidnapping (ala kachuu) to forced marriage based on religious beliefs. However, the views and wishes of the girls themselves are not taken into account.
The reasons for the prevalence of early marriage include:
- Social and economic difficulties, including poverty and unemployment;
- Cultural norms and traditions that support the practices of bride kidnapping and forced marriage;
- Insufficient public awareness of children’s rights and the harm of early marriage;
- Unreasonably lenient sanctions for religious marriages involving minors;
- Low level of educational outreach conducted by local authorities and educational institutions.
The Cabinet of Ministers is recommended to remove the provision lowering the age of marriage from the Family Code and strengthen enforcement of the minimum age of marriage (18) by imposing strict penalties for violations.
