Kyz Ala Kachuu, which literally means to ‘take a young woman and run away’ is the practice of bride kidnapping that takes place in Kyrgyzstan.
Do you know: Despite being banned, almost every third woman in Kyrgyzstan is taking against her will.
The custom can range from consensual elopement to non-consensual kidnapping. A controversial custom, Kyz Ala Kachuu involves the ‘to-be bride’ being kidnapped by the groom and his male compatriots, who then take her to his family home, where she is persuaded to put on a scarf as a sign of acceptance of being a married woman.
