The historical expression kyz alyp kashu could describe very different situations.

In some cases, a couple who could not obtain their parents' approval agreed to leave together and marry. Stories of this kind appear in Kazakh literature and oral tradition, including the famous narratives of Kalkaman and Mamyr and Enlik and Kebek.

However, there was also another practice – taking a woman away against her will. These situations must not be treated as the same tradition.

A consensual elopement involved a decision made by the couple themselves. Abduction without consent deprives a person of the right to choose whether and whom to marry.

Modern Kazakhstan law is based on free and full consent to marriage. Since September 16, 2025, coercing a person into marriage, including abducting someone for that purpose, carries specific criminal liability.

For this reason, non-consensual “bride kidnapping” cannot be presented today as an acceptable cultural tradition. It is a criminal act.

The historical phenomenon may still be studied as part of social and literary history, but a modern marriage must be based on the free choice of both partners.