Bridenapping- Marriage Kazakh-Style For Men Who Can't Find Their Own

Can't find a wife, then just have your family bridenap one for you.  Apparently that's what happens in Kazakhstan, even though it's illegal.

RFE/RL has posted a disturbing amateur video of a young red-dressed woman being dragged, kicking and screaming through the would-be-grooms house by his male and female kin-folk. She's berated, slapped, pushed, her hair is pulled, and she's told "this marriage is going to happen!"

The poor quality video was filmed with Kairat Kozhabekov's cellphone, and later posted on his Facebook page, where he claimed this was a common practice in his country. I'm not sure whether he was proud or just documenting a horrifying tradition for the world to see. You can't see much the first few minutes of the video, since it's pitch black outside, until they are inside the house.

RFE/RL has translated much of what is being said including a male at the beginning saying:

 "Make sure she puts her right foot forward when she is stepping into the home for the first time." 

That's so they have a happy life.

The girl seems to be clueless:

"Don't hold me! Why are you holding me? Why are you talking to me like this? I want to leave," she says. "What are you talking about? I will leave. Why? Why?"

You will notice a white scarf the people are trying to force on her head. She fights valiantly to prevent this from happening, since it would mean she accepts the marriage proposal.

One woman shouts:

"That is it! This [marriage] is going to happen!"  "We are going to make you wear this white scarf anyway."

Another male asks her:

"Why are placing obstacles in the way of your own bright future?"  "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

And another woman tells the frightened, panicked young woman:

 "Don't make us upset."

She responds:

"No, no, no!"  "I'm not going to sit, I won't stay in this house. I'll leave. Let me go!"

But she's told:

 "No one is letting you out from this house."

What a great foundation for a happy marriage.

According to the post she just gave up and now has a son.

The video did not garner positive comments, and some Facebook users mentioned friends who had been bridenapped usually wound up divorcing their kidnappers.

You can get up to seven years for bridnapping (a century's old tradition), but the victims rarely seek help.