Over the past few decades, many countries around the world have stepped up efforts to combat bride kidnapping and forced marriage as forms of gender-based violence. In some regions, especially Central Asia, the Caucasus and East Africa, bride kidnapping remained semi-legal for a long time because of gaps in legislation and weak enforcement of the law. Since the 2000s, states have gradually begun to criminalize these acts. Kazakhstan was among the last in the region to bring its legislation up to modern standards.
Until 2025, Kazakhstan had a universal loophole in its Criminal Code: a kidnapper could avoid responsibility if they voluntarily released the victim. This effectively weakened prosecutions for bride kidnapping. In September, that provision was removed, and kidnappers will now no longer be able to escape liability. In addition, forcing someone into marriage has for the first time been set out as a separate criminal offense.
In Europe, thanks to the Istanbul Convention, most states criminally prosecute not only kidnapping, but also the very fact of a marriage without free consent. Many countries in Asia and Africa have also introduced similar bans. In this way, Kazakhstan fits into a global trend: countries are moving from formal criminalization to creating strict, specialized laws that directly protect the right of women and men to choose their spouse freely.
