Academy for Educational Development

AED Training Shines New Light On an Old Kyrgyz Tradition

On a beautiful day last spring, a group of college students sat in the classroom of Kygryz State Pedagogical University (KSPU) and discussed bride kidnapping, a local tradition that is still being practiced despite being illegal.

The custom of men kidnapping women from their homes and forcing them into marriage was familiar to everyone in the room. However, openly debating the practice within the framework of gender equity and human rights was new to them.

The custom of men kidnapping women from their homes and forcing them into marriage was familiar to everyone in the room.

The tradition was defended by some as an important part of re-claiming traditions that had been suppressed by the Soviet regime. Others objected, stating that a practice shouldn't necessarily be valued because it is a tradition.

"For people in the process of constructing a national identity and reviving traditions to help define that, the debate was at the heart of important matters", Mark Ketcham, Vice President and Director of the AED Center for International Training commented.

The discussion was part of a program conducted jointly by the Academy for Educational Development and the Teachers for Civil Society, a Kyrgyzstani non-governmental organization.

Sixteen members of the university’s administration took part, along with twenty faculty members and fifty-two students who will teach in small, rural villages.

Match-making and bride kidnapping were among the most-debated topics.

Four two-day workshops focused on gender, socialization and stereotypes, trafficking, gender aspects in politics and education, and sexual harassment as a violation of human rights. Match-making and bride kidnapping were among the most-debated topics.

The overall goal however was to turn attention to existing laws and conventions that protect women's and children's rights and the responsibilities that all citizens have for ensuring these are respected.

Before the training, 92.3% of men, 73% of women, 45.3% of male students and 67.8% of female students indicated that bride-kidnapping was “a Kyrgyz tradition” and “should not be regarded as a violation of human rights”.

However, after the training the opinions changed. Only 23% of men, 25% of women, 32% of male students and 19% of female students thought that bride-kidnapping should not be considered a violation of human rights.

As the Dean of the university department commented, "…prior to the training I thought that gender related only to women. It turned out not to be that way." 

Providing training to citizens of countries to address issues critical to their development has been an important part of AED's work over the past 20 years.

One result of the program is adoption of new gender-focused courses, such as "Gender Politics in the Kyrgyz Republic" and "Basics of Gender Knowledge" as part of the curriculum at the Kyrgyzstan Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology.

In addition, three of the professors have integrated gender content into their courses. Providing training to citizens of countries to address issues critical to their development has been an important part of AED's work over the past 20 years.

Training topics reflect a broad range of assistance objectives, from bank reform and new business development, to civil society development and democracy, to social sector reform and youth development.

Over the past 10 years, AED has arranged and managed training opportunities for more than 100,000 citizens from Eurasia alone, including Kyrgyzstan and the other Central Asian Republics.

For more information, contact  Mark Ketcham.