Azerbaijan.US
Practices once framed as cultural tradition no longer carry legal or moral legitimacy in Azerbaijan.
One of the most persistent examples is qız qaçırma – the abduction of a woman for the purpose of forced or pressured marriage. Under current law, such acts constitute a criminal offense, regardless of social justifications.
According to official figures, authorities recorded 15 cases of bride kidnapping nationwide last year, with criminal measures taken against 32 individuals. Legal experts and social researchers caution that the real scale is likely higher. Many victims never report incidents due to family pressure, fear of social stigma, or informal settlements between families that prevent cases from reaching court.
In public discourse, the practice is still occasionally defended using familiar arguments: mutual affection, financial hardship, or parental refusal to approve a marriage. None of these factors carry legal weight. Consent – explicit, voluntary, and free from coercion – is the defining line under Azerbaijani law.
Historically, qız qaçırma developed within patriarchal social structures where women’s agency was limited and family authority dominated marital decisions. In rural areas, abduction was sometimes used to bypass parental consent and later “normalize” the marriage through negotiation. That historical context, however, no longer applies in a modern legal system.
Under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, depriving a person of liberty against their will, forcibly transporting or detaining them, or using deception to do so constitutes a serious crime. If a woman is abducted without consent, perpetrators face prison sentences ranging from four to eight years. When committed by a group, penalties increase to up to twelve years. In cases involving minors, sentences range from ten to fifteen years of imprisonment.
The only legal exception applies when an adult leaves voluntarily of their own free will. In such cases, even a family complaint does not establish criminal liability. In practice, however, families often withdraw complaints after informal reconciliation, preventing cases from proceeding to trial. Legal observers warn that this pattern contributes to repeat offenses and weakens deterrence.
Another factor sustaining the problem is limited legal awareness, particularly outside major cities. Some communities continue to frame bride kidnapping as a cultural issue rather than a criminal one, minimizing the seriousness of the offense. Authorities and advocates stress that this perception gap undermines both prevention and enforcement.
At its core, qız qaçırma is not a cultural debate. It is a question of individual freedom and legal responsibility. Framing the practice as tradition obscures its real nature: a violation of personal autonomy and a direct challenge to the rule of law.
