Normalization of kidnapping girls
In Kyrgyzstan, the abduction of girls has indeed been presented more than once as a subject of humor in various commercials. But the authors of the videos do not understand that jokes about the kidnapping of girls normalize this crime. Through pop culture products, advertising, jokes, negative stereotypes are successfully fixed in society.
The abduction of women for forced marriage in Kyrgyzstan remains one of the most pressing problems – according to statistics, every 17 girls in the country were abducted for marriage without her consent.
Abducted women often become victims of domestic violence, do not have the opportunity to realize themselves, their rights are infringed.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, in 2021, 560 facts related to the abduction and forced marriage of women were registered in Kyrgyzstan.
Often, cases of kidnapping do not reach the court, and lawbreakers do not receive the prescribed punishment. The impunity felt by the aggressors leads to the fact that women can be killed during the abduction.
This happened to Aizada Kanatbekova in April 2021. She was kidnapped by Zamirbek Tenizbayev. He raped the girl and then killed her and himself. Since the case gained public outcry, those who helped Tenizbayev in the abduction of Aizada received real terms. However, the policemen, who did not prevent the murder of Kanatbekova, never received any real punishment.
A similar story happened in May 2018. Then the kidnapper of 19-year-old Burulai Turdaly kyzy killed her at the police station. The suspect kidnapped her in order to forcefully marry her. But after they were detained and taken to the department, he killed her with a knife and tried to commit suicide.
The court found the kidnapper Mars Bodoshev guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison with confiscation of property. At the same time, the court ordered him to pay 800,000 soms to the family of the deceased. The court sentenced his accomplice Akmat Seyitov to 7.5 years in prison. The court also found three policemen guilty of negligence that led to the murder of Burulai and fined them 260,000 soms each. Two members of the patrol police were acquitted – it was they who stopped the car with the kidnapped girl.
In addition, after the murder of Burulai, 23 policemen were held accountable, 13 of them were removed from their positions. Thus, the head of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Chui region, Nurlan Sarchaev, as well as his two deputies, Marlis Asanov and Kanat Zhumaev, were removed from their posts.
In early January 2023, it became known that Marlis Asanov was appointed head of the Osh city department of internal affairs.
Read more: She dreamed of becoming a doctor. How Burulai was kidnapped and killed
Kidnapping and murder of Aizada Kanatbekova. Chronology of events
She screamed “Mom!”
“I Was Kidnapped Once”: Five Stories of Girls Kidnapped for Marriage