At least 50.1 percent of the polled young people encountered bride kidnapping for the purpose of forced marriage in Kyrgyzstan. The National Institute for Strategic Studies reported.
A sociological survey was conducted among the youth to study the opinion of young people regarding the marriage age, making a decision on marriage and coercion to marry.
«At least forty-two percent of the young people have repeatedly experienced this phenomenon, 6.1 percent have been directly involved in kidnapping of girls for marriage, 2 percent are kidnapped girls, 46.1 percent of the young people reported that they were not aware of bride kidnapping cases,» the results of the survey say.
Girls face bride kidnapping more often than boys (53.2 percent versus 44.1 percent).
Young men admitted that they had participated in the kidnapping of girls for marriage. The older is the age of respondents, the more of them have encountered this phenomenon in one form or another.
«Young people living in Osh (58.8 percent), Bishkek (51.7 percent), Chui (55.9 percent) and Issyk-Kul (50 percent) regions most often encountered bride kidnapping cases. The share of those, who encountered similar phenomena more than once, is the highest in these regions,» the study noted.
More than a half of the respondents noted that they would report to the law enforcement agencies in case of bride kidnapping.
Every fourth respondent suggested that he would try to stop the kidnapping, 8.7 percent of respondents would not do anything, as this does not concern them (this is what the male respondents say). Two percent of the young people are ready to help the kidnappers to steal brides.
«At least 87 percent of the young people consider the bride kidnapping for marriage as a crime, 6.4 percent support bride kidnapping and call such actions a tradition and custom, 6.1 percent have not yet decided on their position,» the study noted.
«The girls more often told about the negative attitude to bride kidnapping. The number of guys who have such an opinion is smaller. Their share significantly prevails among those, who support the kidnapping of girls and considers it as a tradition. Respondents over 29 years often support bride kidnapping in contrast to other age groups,» the study noted.
