Ala Kachuu

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Ala Kachuu (translated to pack and run away) is a Kyrgyz custom in which men kidnap women without their consent and then marry. The custom is now heavily criticized, but is still widespread in Kyrgyz society.

origin

In Kyrgyzstan, bride robbery was previously unknown in its present form. At that time it happened that women were robbed in war or that lovers ran away in order to avoid the dowry and the consent of their parents. Ala Kachuu in its current form is a young development in Kyrgyzstan and spread especially during the Soviet rule and the associated forced collectivization . Ala Kachuu was strictly forbidden in the Soviet Union, so Ala Kachuu only became a national and common custom after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Kyrgyzstan in 1991. Today, Ala Kachuu is particularly common in cities. According to various estimates, between 25 and 50% of all marriages in Kyrgyzstan are concluded through Ala Kachuu. In 2017, Deutsche Welle reported that Ala Kachuu would get married every 30 minutes.

procedure

The bride robbery usually takes place with the consent of the bride's and groom's family, with the future spouses usually only a fleeting acquaintance or no acquaintance at all. The man then kidnaps the woman and takes her, often forcibly, to his family home. There the relatives of both meet and celebrate a big wedding party, the so-called Toj . When the bride arrives, the groom's grandmother stands ready with a large white towel. If the woman lets this be thrown on, this is the sign of her consent to the marriage. The blessing of an imam completes the marriage.

The wedding night is often marked by rape and violence. The bride is expected to conclude the marriage by having her groom deflower . Often, however, this happens through rape.

Rejection of marriage

For the women concerned, it is hardly possible to oppose the marriage, as there is great pressure on them from their own family and from the groom. In addition, a woman who has spent even one night in another man's house becomes socially stigmatized and a marriage with another man becomes difficult. In addition, the man is under pressure to be able to “conquer” a woman. If he does not succeed in this, his reputation in society is also diminished.

These factors mean that over 90% of women stay with the man who abducted them and marry him.

Laws

Ala Kachuu is illegal in Kyrgyzstan. In 2012, the laws and, above all, the sentence for Ala Kachuu were significantly tightened, with non-governmental organizations playing a major role in the increased focus on the practice of bride robbery in Kyrgyz politics. Nowadays the kidnappers face a prison sentence of seven years, or ten years if the bride is a minor. The number of convictions, however, is negligible. According to figures from the Kyz Korgon Center, one in 1,500 men is punished for robbery.

Web links

https://nzzas.nzz.ch/magazin/brautraub-dating-auf-kirgisisch-ld.1547799

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ala Kachuu . ( restlessbeings.org [accessed July 30, 2018]).
  2. ^ Institute for Foreign Relations eV: “Ala Kachuu is no cool!” Fighting Bride Abduction in Kyrgyzstan. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on July 30, 2018 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ifa.de  
  3. ↑ Jackie Dewe Mathews: Take this woman to be your wife | Kyrgyzstan. March 27, 2010, accessed July 30, 2018 .
  4. ^ Bride Robbery in Kyrgyzstan: The Comeback of a Questionable Tradition . In: study worldwide . March 23, 2017 ( studieren-weltweit.de [accessed July 30, 2018]).
  5. ^ Institute for Foreign Relations eV: “Ala Kachuu is no cool!” Fighting Bride Abduction in Kyrgyzstan. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on July 30, 2018 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ifa.de  
  6. ↑ Erika Fatland: Sovietistan . 4th edition. tape 1 . Suhrkamp, ISBN 978-3-518-46762-6 , pp. 354 .
  7. ↑ Ala Kachuu: The Kidnapping of a Woman's Choice | The Platform. Retrieved July 30, 2018 (American English).
  8. ↑ Erika Fatland: Sovietistan . 4th edition. tape 1 . Suhrkamp, ISBN 978-3-518-46762-6 , pp. 355 .