More Chechens should get married in registry offices rather than simply have their union blessed by a cleric, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Friday.
Kadyrov said that break-ups were more common when a couple’s commitment to one another only has a religious foundation. He also said break-ups in such cases were hard on the woman, as she was not legally entitled to financial support from her ex-partner.
“We have studied the situation,” he said. “It simplifies the decision to break up.”
According to a BBC documentary filmed in Chechnya this summer, as many as one in five Chechen marriages begin with a woman being snatched off the street. The women are forced to marry their kidnappers to preserve the family honor and avoid triggering a blood feud.
Many of these marriages are not officially registered with the authorities.
Chechnya recently introduced a fine of 1 million rubles ($33,400) for "bride-napping.”
MOSCOW, November 26 (RIA Novosti)
