Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The problem of early and forced marriages in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia persists, although there are no reliable statistics on their number. The problem is rarely brought into the public sphere against the backdrop of girls’ confidence in their own defenselessness, the lack of working laws and gender discrimination characteristic of the patriarchal structure inherent in these republics, noted the authors of the study “Forcibly Married.”
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, the problem of domestic violence in Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya affects women of different ages, but mostly young girls under 30 try to escape from it. At the same time, they face threats of losing contact with children, and the problem of “honor killings” also remains relevant, human rights activists from the Ad Rem team indicated in their report on November 13. In Dagestan and Ingushetia, they are trying to hide data on “honor killings” by removing information about such cases from court websites. In Chechnya, citing a woman’s immoral behavior as a motive for murder helps to obtain a more lenient punishment, said human rights activist Saida Sirazhudinova, commenting on the results of a study on domestic violence in the North Caucasus.
The Ad Rem project published the results of a field study "Forcibly married": The problem of early and forced marriages on the example of the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic. The study was conducted by Yulia Antonova, Inna Airapetyan and Kulsam Magomadova.
“Despite the fact that in modern society young people are more likely to imitate abduction, a stolen bride in the eyes of society traditionally still turns out to be more “guilty” than the criminal kidnapper. If she does not agree to the marriage, she will be considered disgraced,” the authors noted, announcing a study published on the project website.
In some republics of the North Caucasus, early and forced marriages are still not considered a problem that needs to be combated. According to official data, in 2021 in Russia, 4,453 women were married under the age of 18, the authors of the study noted. “These figures would seem to place the problem of early marriages in general in the Russian Federation as insignificant. However, official sources record only a certain percentage of the total number of such marriages. This happens for a number of reasons: some early marriages are not registered with the registry office, and are concluded according to a religious ritual; others have the nature of an actual marriage, without legal registration,” the study says.
At the same time, the topic is not sufficiently covered in the media and is presented on a limited number of resources. “This topic received wide discussion in the media only in 2015, when 17-year-old Kheda (Louise) Goylabieva was married to a 54-year-old head of the police department in Chechnya,” the study emphasizes.
In May 2015, the wedding of the head of the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district police department of Chechnya, Nazhud Guchigov, and 17-year-old Kheda (Louise) Goilabieva took place in Grozny. Reports about the possible coercion of a girl into marriage caused a great public outcry; Guchigov himself and the leadership of Chechnya denied this information.
Its authors noted that the topic of forced marriage is even less covered. From 1999 to 2007, over 650 reports of abduction for the purpose of forced marriage were registered in the North Caucasus; Only in 25% of cases were criminal cases initiated, the rest were refused. Currently, there are no reliable statistics on bride kidnappings, as victims are still afraid to openly report what happened, not wanting to face public condemnation. Most often, these girls prefer to come to terms with what happened, and law enforcement agencies ignore their appeals.
During the study, 31 women aged 23-43 years were interviewed - 10 people in Dagestan, the same number in Ingushetia and 11 in Chechnya, who were victims of early and/or forced marriages. 10 of those interviewed were divorced at the time of the interview (2021). “In addition to women who suffered from early and/or forced marriages, we interviewed 15 experts from three republics - practitioners providing assistance to girls and young women who suffered from early and/or forced marriages, or related to these groups due to their professional responsibilities," the study says.
GENDER INEQUALITY NAMED THE MAIN REASON FOR FORCED MARRIAGES IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS
Based on interviews, researchers identified the main causes of forced marriage. They put gender discrimination first. “Based on the interviews, one of the main reasons for the prevalence of early and/or forced sex in the North Caucasus remains gender discrimination, which is based on the patriarchal idea of the social role of women, limited to the family, caring for relatives, housework, giving birth and raising children. <...>
Answering questions about the reasons and circumstances of marriage, almost all interviewed female victims told interviewers similar stories: first there was kidnapping, then family negotiations, and, as a rule, reconciliation with what happened,” the study emphasizes.
Bride kidnappings in Dagestan have practically stopped, as both society and religious organizations condemn them, noted analysts interviewed by the Caucasian Knot. The editor-in-chief of RIA Derbent, Milrad Fatullaev, pointed out that until recently, so-called “pseudo-kidnappings” were practiced, when the family did not have the opportunity to pay for a luxurious wedding, according to local unwritten rules. “Back then, by mutual agreement of the parties - both the boy’s relatives and the girl’s relatives - in order to circumvent the issue of dowry-kalym, they organized a “kidnapping” and a theatrical reconciliation. Now the problem of kalym is a thing of the past, although even now some echoes remain, when, for example, one one side buys an apartment for young people, and the other furnishes it, but this also meets with condemnation in society,” he emphasized.
Researchers put the economic disadvantage of families, especially large families, in second place as the reasons for early and forced marriages. “The family finds a way out of this situation by quickly transferring their daughters to the care of their husband, thus easing their financial burden. Sometimes we are talking about the actual “selling” of their minor daughter as a bride. <...> Girls and young women in such situations they rarely resist because they feel responsible for the well-being of their family,” the study authors noted.
A woman’s honor is equal to the honor of the family, therefore non-compliance with the “rules” and “indecent” behavior of a woman are strictly punished. The most extreme manifestation of such control is the honor killings that still occur in the region
The third reason is concern for the “honor of the family.” “As in any patriarchal society, in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan there is strict control over the sexual sphere of a woman’s life. A woman’s honor is equated with the honor of the family, therefore non-compliance with the “rules” and “indecent” behavior of a woman is strictly punished. The most extreme manifestation of such control is “honour” killings that still occur in the region,” the study authors noted.
Women whose behavior is considered a disgrace by their relatives may become victims of “honor killings” in the Caucasus. These murders are committed by relatives themselves, most often by a father or brother, as noted in the Caucasian Knot reference material “Honor Killings in the North Caucasus.”
They emphasized that parents or relatives do not take kidnapped brides, as it is generally accepted that the kidnapped girl or girl is already “unclean”, this greatly reduces her chances of marrying another person, especially if the girl spent the night in the abductor’s house.
In addition, often the motive for forced marriage of a girl is the fear of relatives that she may dishonor the family by marrying a person of the wrong nationality or simply showing interest in the opposite sex.
“My parents were afraid that I would marry someone of a different nationality, a Dargin or a Lezgin. This is not accepted here, you have to marry an Avar, your own,” said Aishat, a native of Dagestan, who was forcibly married at 19 years.
Separately, there are cases where girls who are victims of rape are married to rapists out of fear for the honor of the family. “My relatives beat me, but did nothing to him. Then old men began to come and marry me to Zaur. My father was against it, but my male relatives said: “She’s either in the grave or married.” She is no longer a girl." They also accused me. They gave me away for him, and I didn’t even know that I was married off. Nobody even asked me whether I wanted it or not,” the publication quotes the words of Fatima, a native of Ingushetia, who was kidnapped in 17 years.
In addition to these reasons, researchers also identified weak compliance with legislation in the republics of the North Caucasus.
Justification for the practice of early and/or forced marriage may be based on references to tradition, religion or cultural norms, they pointed out. "On the surface, these arguments may even appear to be caring. A girl's family may sincerely believe that marrying at a young age will secure her financial future or protect her from possible sexual assault. But all of these harmful practices are based on the assumption that a girl's or woman's rights obviously more limited than the rights of a boy or a man,” the study emphasizes.
EARLY AND FORCED MARRIAGES RESULT IN VARIOUS FORMS OF VIOLENCE
Among the consequences of such marriages, researchers named various types of violence. “Early and/or forced marriage is, first of all, an act of violence against a girl or young woman, which often leads to further violence against her by her husband, his relatives and society as a whole. This violence manifests itself in a variety of forms - economic, physical, psychological, sexual,” the study authors indicated.
Thus, the lack of education among girls who are victims of early and forced marriages leads to economic dependence on their husband’s family and violence. “Married girls and young women face many barriers to education. These include uneven distribution of unpaid domestic work, bearing and raising children, and the need to care for elderly relatives. The likelihood of a girl or young woman continuing her education after marriage is extremely low.” the study emphasizes.
"Immediately after marriage - pregnancy and everyday life. Then we lived with [my husband's] parents, there was cleaning and cooking. There was simply no time for study or even to think about it, to be honest. I remember how my classmates were going to school, they were finishing 10th-11th grade, and someone was walking across our street... I remember how I envied them, they were so carefree and cheerful, and I was sweeping or washing something near the fence and gate. ", Liana from Dagestan, who was forced into marriage at the age of 14, said in an interview.
Most often, a minor wife is treated as a person without rights. The young bride is under constant pressure and control from her husband, mother-in-law and in-laws.
At the same time, the majority of girls without education who have the opportunity to work are forced to find employment unofficially, which, on the contrary, only increases their vulnerability, and often cannot manage the money they earn. All this puts them in an extremely vulnerable, financially dependent position on their husband and his relatives. Almost all the women who took part in this study told us about cases when they experienced financial violence in the family.
“My husband never gave me money, even when I had to go to the maternity hospital. And he didn’t let me get treatment,” said Fatima from Chechnya, who was forced into marriage at the age of 17.
Such marriages actually lead to the isolation of women. “Most often, a child wife is treated as a person without rights. The young bride is under constant pressure and control from her husband, mother-in-law and in-laws, and is subject to slander, slander, humiliation, and insults. She is burdened with backbreaking work and lives in isolation. Girls experienced severe moral and psychological suffering, remaining without support,” the study authors indicated.
Almost half of the respondents (14 out of 31) said that they had been subjected to physical violence by their husbands, from spanking and kicking to strangulation and beating. In addition, many of the girls faced sexual violence, the researchers noted. “In traditional societies, rape by husbands is not advertised, women victims do not seek help, and rapists go unpunished. The topic of sexual violence in marriage is hushed up, as it is considered something personal and shameful,” the study says.
I COULDN'T GO TO THE HOSPITAL. THIS WAS CONSIDERED WRONG FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF OUR RELIGION
In addition, early marriages lead to consequences for women’s health; 15 out of 31 respondents reported problems during pregnancy, and 13 girls noted that often complications during and after pregnancy were also caused by incessant physical violence from the husband and his relatives. Four girls noted that the cause of complications during pregnancy was a delay in seeking qualified medical care. “As a result of the young wife’s dependent financial situation on her husband and his relatives, she is not able to independently make a decision about seeking medical help. There is often no support from the husband and his relatives in this matter, since this is associated with financial costs ", the authors of the study emphasized.
“I also had an additional problem with my husband and mother-in-law. For them, medical care... they didn’t understand it. I couldn’t go to the hospital. It was considered wrong from the point of view of our religion,” said Madina from Dagestan, forcibly married at 16 years old.
BROKEN LAWS PROVOKED A SITUATION OF DEFENSELESSNESS
Appeals to the police, as a rule, in cases of early or forced marriages in the regions of the North Caucasus are not practiced or are ineffective. The girls themselves are sure that they will not get help anywhere and do not turn to human rights activists or the muftiate, sometimes trying to find support from their relatives, say the authors of the study.
“Support from their own relatives and parents is in fact the main protection mechanism that girls and women who have become victims of early and/or forced marriages can count on. But often this resource turns out to be inoperative, since the family itself is highly influenced by local traditions and is afraid public condemnation, is not ready to help her daughter,” they emphasized.
None of the studied republics of the North Caucasus, nor in Russia as a whole, has any established system of protection and assistance to minor girls in cases of early and/or forced marriages.
Regional legislative initiatives in Ingushetia and Chechnya prohibiting bride kidnapping have not proven effective, the study authors noted, adding that some of the respondents “were abducted after these regulations came into force, but were unable to avoid marriage.” Often families The bride and groom came to an agreement - the fine imposed for kidnapping the bride was paid to the bride’s family, or the kidnapper himself or his relatives had connections in government structures, which made it possible to avoid punishment,” the study notes.
In certain regions of the North Caucasus, Muslim clergy are fighting the practice of bride kidnapping without the consent of the parties. So, in Ingushetia, the Muftiate established a fine of 200 thousand rubles for this. In Chechnya, religious figures are prohibited from becoming mediators in resolving conflicts caused by bride kidnapping, and the bride kidnapper is required to pay her family a fine of one million rubles.
“None of the studied republics of the North Caucasus, nor in Russia as a whole, has any established system of protection and assistance to minor girls in cases of early and/or forced marriages. Legislation designed to protect the rights of minors in these circumstances is applied extremely rare and ineffective,” the authors concluded.
The experts participating in the study pointed out the lack of crisis centers for victims of violence, which could become an important element of the system for protecting victims of early and/or forced marriages, and emphasized the importance of developing socio-psychological services and expanding educational work to combat early and forced marriages, especially in remote and rural regions.
On June 10, 2021, in Dagestan, security forces and their colleagues from Chechnya came to a shelter apartment for victims of domestic violence in Makhachkala, detaining journalist Svetlana Anokhina, employees of the Marem project and the mother of a 15-year-old daughter who was hiding from domestic violence. Their goal was to remove from the shelter a resident of Chechnya, Khalimat Taramova, who fled the republic after complaining of domestic violence. Various injuries, some from blows with a blunt object, were recorded on the bodies of Iraida Smirnova, Maysarat Kilyaskhanova and Svetlana Anokhina, who were then in the shelter.
The problem of the safety of shelters remains unresolved, especially in the North Caucasus, representatives of non-governmental organizations said in September 2023. The statement was preceded by a decision of the ECHR, which recognized violations of the rights of women who were in the Makhachkala shelter when security forces took from it a native of Chechnya, Khalimat Taramova.
TIGHTENING LEGISLATION MAY BECOME ONE OF THE METHODS OF PROTECTION AGAINST EARLY AND FORCED MARRIAGES
The authors of the study proposed revising Article 13 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation and introducing a uniform age for marriage from 18 years in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation, as well as establishing criminal liability for forcing minors to marry. In addition, in their opinion, it is necessary to introduce mandatory state registration of all marriages.
They also propose to amend Articles 131–134 of the Criminal Code, abolishing the exemption of persons who have had sexual intercourse with a person under the legal age from criminal liability in the case of marriage with the victim and introducing criminal liability for marital rape.
In addition, the authors of the study consider it necessary to introduce criminal liability for holding a religious marriage ceremony in which a man marries an underage girl and to ensure that parents who consent to such a marriage are held accountable.
Also, in their opinion, it is necessary to provide victims of early and/or forced marriages and bride kidnapping with access to justice, including free legal assistance, compensation for damages and rehabilitation, including social, medical and psychological support.
In addition, it is necessary to develop a network of crisis centers, carry out explanatory work, prepare and implement programs “to support national communities in overcoming customs that are harmful to the development and health of girls through information events taking into account the characteristics of the culture and traditions of peoples, especially in rural areas.” Also, according to the researchers, it is important to ensure the involvement of religious organizations in protecting the rights of girls and raising awareness, especially in rural regions.
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