You're reading: Many underage girls in Kazakhstan forced into marriage

 ASTANA  - Nearly 5% of Kazakh girls under the age 18 are already married, Gulshara Abdykalikova, presidential advisor and head of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy, said.

“The study conducted together with the Women’s League of Creative Initiative last year revealed facts of forced marriage, especially among underage girls, which is a penal offence,” she said at a conference on crime prevention on Friday in Astana.

“The study showed that approximately 5% of girls in Kazakhstan aged 15 to 18 are already married,” she said.

According to Abdykalikova, the highest rate of underage marriage is recorded in Akmola, Mangistau and South Kazakhstan regions, though the actual statistics are hard to come by, as many marriages are not legally registered.

Abdykalikova noted that the Criminal Code does not sanction bride kidnapping, while the low legal literacy of young girls is also part of the problem.

“It is obvious that early marriages are damaging: they strip girls of childhood, obstruct their development and education and endanger their health. Apart from that, they lead to frequent unplanned pregnancies and even suicide attempts. Regrettably, Kazakhstan has the third highest suicide rate after Lithuania and Korea,” she said.

Citizens officially come of age in Kazakhstan at the age of 18. The country’s law on marriage and family specify the minimum age of 18 years both for men and women.