Unequal marriages prevail in Northern Caucasus

The story of the wedding of 17-year-old Kheda Goylabieva and Nazhud Guchigov, the 46-year-old chief of the Nozhai-Yurt ROVD (District Interior Division), is typical of the Caucasian society. This opinion has been expressed by experts and local residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 30, journalist Elena Milashina reported on the preparations for the wedding of Nazhud Guchigov and a 17-year-old girl from the village of Baitarki. Despite the public outcry, the authorities of Chechnya and Children's Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov do not believe that the rights of the girl have been violated.

In Northern Caucasus, marriages characterized by large age difference between bride and groom are not an exceptional phenomenon, and the story of Kheda Goylabieva is of political context. This was stated by Naima Neflyasheva, the Senior Researcher of the Centre for Civilization and Regional Studies, an author of the blog "Northern Caucasus through the centuries" at the "Caucasian Knot".

"In recent years, the age difference of 15 and even 20 years between bride and groom is treated as normal by the society and relatives of a newly married couple," Naima Neflyasheva has commented to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Naima Neflyasheva, the reason why young women do such a choice is in the lack of decent alternatives among young men. "In general, young men of women's age are infantile. A lot of young men do not work and are dependent on their parents. Besides, there is also an element of a healthy pragmatism. There are families in need, and such a marriage of convenience can change not only the fate of a young woman, but also the fate of her family members. Thus, marriages also include an element of expectation of convenience," Naima Neflyasheva has stated.

When commenting on the issue to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, Ali-Khadji Evteev, the former Mufti of North Ossetia, has said that the Sharia provides no concept of unequal marriage; however, Islam gives a woman "the right to marry anyone she wants."

According to Ali-Khadji Evteev, there are cases of forced marriages, "when it comes to financially secure people." However, he believes the situation has been "artificially hypertrophied" and "not widespread in recent years."

Unequal marriages are quite common in Chechnya, and they take place in each clan. This was stated by Aslan, a resident of the Zavodskoi District of Grozny, who preferred to remain anonymous.

The man believes it is very good that journalists have highlighted the problem. "It should be voiced, and the case of pressure has taken place. We all saw how an aunt of the girl was sitting next to her and telling her what to say to the journalists' camera. And all local people understand that; however, they are afraid to say anything. Of course, there is also another side of the coin, and we should admit that a lot of local people dream to marry their daughters to 'favourable' suitors. Families very often simply 'sell' their daughters as lambs," Aslan has concluded.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.