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KYRGYZSTAN - The Kidnapped Bride, March 2004

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Facts & Stats
More than 94 percent of Kyrgyzstan is mountains.

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Learn more about women's rights in Central Asia and read daily news from Kyrgyzstan. read more

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The Story
A woman being kidnapped

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Video Length: 18:31

FRONTLINE/World reporter Petr Lom travels to Kyrgyzstan, where an ancient tradition of bride kidnapping, banned by the Soviets, is resurgent. Lom gets inside families to talk with kidnapped brides -- those who have managed to escape from their captors as well as those who are making homes with their new husbands.
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Photo Essay: On the Roof of the World
Kyrgyzstan is a country at a geographic and historical crossroads, between the vast Central Asian steppes to the west and China to the east. The collapse of the Soviet Union has left this republic struggling to regain a sense of security and identity. Explore a land of snowcapped mountains and wild horses, colorful bazaars and nomadic traditions.


Interview With Petr Lom: Marriage by Abduction

Man playing cards