Kazakhstan Bride

Cultural Activities. Almaty has a symphony orchestra, a beautifully renovated ballet and opera house, chamber music ensembles, traditional Kazakh music groups, and other types of theater.  A variety of local and international works are performed at the Abai Opera and Opera Theater. A typical monthly schedule includes the operas Carmen, Yevgeniy Onegin, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto, and the Tsar's Bride, as well as the ballets Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Corsar, and Giselle. ... [Read More]

IV. Country Narratives: Europe and Eurasia

The Kyrgyz Republic is a source and transit country for women, men, and children trafficked to Kazakhstan and Russia for the purpose of forced labor, and to the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Turkey, and China for sexual exploitation. Women who are either destined for or transiting through the country come from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Trafficking also occurs within the country, from poor rural areas in the south to northern cities such as Bishkek and Osh. Bride kidnapping is a problem, despite a law prohibiting this custom. However, the prevalence of this custom is unclear. One study indicated that up to one-third of ethnic Kyrgyz women living in northern Kyrgyzstan may be married against their will as a result of this practice, which is a form of indentured servitude. ... [Read More]

Globalization and Change in Central Asia

The overthrow of the Taliban and the establishment of the Karzai government was a regime change so sweeping in tone, that after the introduction of a new constitution, Afghanistan will also require new civil code and penal code.  Afghanistan needs to develop a functioning system of rule of law.  Legal reforms are important for the whole society, but can also serve as one of the key routes for improving the status of women.   Some of the defining issues for women in Afghanistan will be reflected in the balance between Islamic personal status laws and the civil law code regulating personal and family relations and equalizing the duties and responsibilities of the sexes in so ... [Read More]

Country Narratives -- Countries H through P

Fourteen government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking efforts, much of which is prevention-oriented. Officials oversee pre-departure sessions with overseas contract workers to warn them about trafficking. Officials have made commendable efforts to control “mail-order bride” businesses through increased monitoring. Government offices conduct information campaigns on child labor and sexual exploitation for the hotel industry and other tourism businesses. ...

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) is primarily a source country for persons trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Economic and political conditions in North Korea drive large numbers of Koreans to seek a way out of the country, putting them at risk of victimization by traffickers. Women who enter Northern China may be sold as brides and exploited into prostitution. The Government of North Korea carries out widespread forced labor abuses within the country. North Koreans are transported to work in isolated regions in Russia, under circumstances of forced labor exploitation, in order to pay down the North Korean government’s foreign debt to Moscow. ... [Read More]

2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kyrgyz Republic

In December, the Government supported a NGO-sponsored Campaign Against Violence and Bride Kidnapping conducted for high school and college students, government officials, law enforcement officers, and medical personnel. Participating NGOs distributed information materials, produced television documentaries, performed a short play on bride kidnapping, and held discussions on domestic violence and trafficking in persons. NGOs reported an increase of calls to NGO antitrafficking hotlines following the campaign. ... [Read More]

The U.S. Government’s International Anti-Trafficking Programs Fiscal Year 2004

To create families without bride-kidnapping. To film thematic videos in remote regions. ... [Read More]

Uzbekistan

In parts of the country, some women and girls resorted to suicide by self-immolation. There were no reliable statistics on the extent of this problem because most cases went unreported. After marriage many women or girls moved into the husband's home, where they occupied the lowest rung on the family social ladder. A conflict with the husband or mother-in-law, who by tradition exercised complete control over the young bride, usually was the stimulus for suicide. The NGO "Umid" (also known as the Interregional Rehabilitation Center) in Samarkand ran a shelter for victims of self-immolation. UMID also worked with trafficking victims and was involved in the rehabilitation of commercial sex workers. The NGO reported varying degrees of cooperation from individual officials and local governments. ... [Read More]

2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Uzbekistan

In parts of the country, some women and girls committed suicide by self-immolation. Most cases went unreported and there were no reliable statistics on the problem's extent. Observers cited conflict with a husband or mother in law, who by tradition exercised complete control over a young bride, as the usual stimulus for suicide. The NGO Umid in Samarkand ran a shelter for victims of self-immolation and reported varying degrees of cooperation from individual officials, mahalla committees, and local governments. ... [Read More]

Uzbekistan

Prosecutors in 1999, 2000, and 2001 brought charges against at least 155 persons in connection with 1999 terrorist bombings in Tashkent. All of those tried were convicted, and 20 were executed. Several individuals were tried and convicted in absentia, including the leader of a banned opposition political party. During 1999 and 2000, many other individuals were convicted of terrorism. Authorities alleged that most had ties with the IMU, which had been implicated in the 1999 bombings. Recurrent allegations that investigators employed torture, as well as a general lack of transparency in court proceedings, led many international observers to claim that the Government had failed to prove the defendants' guilt.During the year, several individuals were tried on charges of recruiting for the IMU. In no case of alleged IMU recruitment did the prosecution present evidence that international observers considered sufficient to justify conviction. In two cases ... [Read More]