The People of Naryn and the U.S. Embassy Stand Together Against Bride Kidnapping and Forced Marriages

On October 13 at 12:00, in Tattybubu Tursunbaeva (Chaek village, Jumgal district, Naryn) high school students and graduates, teachers, police, local government, media, and NGO representatives will discuss the laws against bride kidnapping and the consequences of this terrible crime against young women.  An information campaign will raise awareness among young people about their rights and responsibilities under the law if forced to marry against their will.  The presentation will debunk the myth that bride kidnapping is a Kyrgyz tradition.  The Bureau of International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement of the U.S. Embassy is funding the event through local organization Daanyshman Jumgal Kabary, and the international non-governmental organizations Saferworld and Foundation for Tolerance International.

Organizers will present information on the legislative, psychosocial, and ethical aspects of forced marriage.  There will be similar presentations in each of the 16 schools in Naryn Oblast to raise awareness in remote communities and villages.  The event follows International Day of the Girl on October 11.  This year’s theme is “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030,” which focuses on the importance of social, economic, and political investment in adolescent girls to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination, and to achieve equitable and sustainable development.

Contact person: Dopoev Japarbek Karagulovich
Email: djk_61@mail.ru
Phone: 03536 23008, 0773240688.3