The following is an excerpt from Vasilis Trantalis’s article
“In a world pervaded by the concept of human rights and the freedoms awarded to all people, bride kidnapping is a ritual that has managed to sustain itself over time and is now a threat to modern societies.“
WHAT IS BRIDE KIDNAPPING?
Bride kidnapping, as the name suggests, is a practice where a man abducts a woman he wishes to marry. Simply put by VICE reporter Thomas Morton, “Guy wants to marry a girl, he gets a few of his friends together, they grab the girl off the street, then they drive her back to his place, and his mom and aunts try to convince her that marrying their son is the right move, even if he is a stranger”.
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRIDE KIDNAPPING
As stated above, most nations consider the act of bride abduction a sex crime. But why is that?
Bride kidnapping – as imagined – can at times include the assault or rape of a female to force her to agree to the marriage. And in today’s world, where gender equality has developed into an integral part of our society, such custom WILL NOT BE TOLERATED… right? WRONG!
Not only are there countries in the world that have enforced unwritten laws that encourage the act (including Ethiopia and Afghanistan), there is a common trend in which customary practice is valued more than actual laws. An example of that may be found in Kyrgyzstan, where officers are often disregarding or are entirely ignorant about the illegality of bride kidnapping.”
If you are interested in reading the whole article you can click the link down below:
Painting: Helen Carried Off By Theseus by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli