New Kazakh Law Bans Bride Kidnapping, Offenders Face Up to 10 Years in Prison

Kazakhstan has banned forced marriages and bride kidnappings through a law that came into effect Tuesday, in the Central Asian country, where the practice persists despite new attention being paid to women’s rights.

Kazakh police said in a statement, that forcing someone to marry is now punishable by up to ten years in prison, so as to  prevent forced marriages and protect vulnerable categories of citizens, especially women and adolescents.

Meanwhile, a Kazakh lawmaker said earlier this year that the police had received two hundred and fourteen complaints over the past three years, which then makes the ban valid.