The minimum legal age for marriage in
Kyrgyzstan is 18, however, 12.2 percent
of women in Kyrgyzstan get married
before they reach 18 years of age (1). This
occurs more widely in rural areas, where
14.2 percent of women marry before they
reach the legal adult status. In urban areas,
this statistic stands at 9.7 percent (1).
Child marriages are generally not legally
registered. As a result, children born
in such marriages either have no birth
certificate or receive a birth certificate at a
later stage. Furthermore, women and girls
coerced into child marriage often become
the victims of forced domestic labor; they
are denied opportunities for education
and are rarely granted property rights (2).
This social drama is complicated by
the fact that in most cases child marriages
are accompanied by family violence and
considered to be a normal practice in the
public consciousness of some groups of
the population (2).
In spite of the fact that international
legal instruments, as well as, countryspecific
laws have been created to
condemn and criminalize the practice of
child marriage, it continues and is actually
increasing in the country. Therefore,
efforts are needed to raise awareness
among young people and adolescents,
as well as, policy makers to protect girls’
rights and prevent the continuation of
such a harmful practice through media,
public events and national campaigns.