Kazakhstan has introduced new law punishing forced marriage with up to ten years in prison even if victims are later released<\/p>\n
Kazakhstan has passed a new law criminalizing forced marriage and closing legal loopholes that previously allowed perpetrators of bride kidnapping to avoid punishment. Bride kidnapping\u00a0\u2013 the abduction of a woman or girl with the intent to force her into marriage\u00a0\u2013 remains a longstanding problem in parts of the country.
\nUnder the new legislation, offenders will face up to ten years in prison, even if they release their victims voluntarily, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.\u00a0\u201cNow this possibility is excluded: even with the voluntary release of the victim, the guilty person will be brought to justice,\u201d\u00a0according to the ministry.
\nThe move follows years of criticism from human rights groups and officials, who say the practice often results in physical and psychological harm, including unlawful detention, sexual violence and, in some cases, suicide. The Ombudsman\u2019s office had previously warned that many victims were unable to report the crime, while some perpetrators did not realize their actions were illegal.<\/p>\n
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The law also introduces a new provision into Kazakhstan\u2019s Criminal Code, specifically targeting forced marriage. It allows for prison terms of five to ten years in cases that result in serious consequences. Harsher penalties apply if the offence involves violence, minors, abuse of power or group participation, according to law enforcement officials.
\nThe proposal to outlaw bride kidnapping was first introduced in 2023. At the time, officials said legal ambiguity and social stigma discouraged victims from coming forward.
\nSeveral neighboring Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, have already criminalized the practice.
\nThe legislation is part of a wider legal reform package signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in July 2025. The reforms also cover related offenses such as stalking, coercion, and harassment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kazakhstan has introduced new law punishing forced marriage with up to ten years in prison even if victims are later released Kazakhstan has passed a new law criminalizing forced marriage…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-politics","category-society"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t