A series of short cartoons telling the story of a victim of bride kidnapping inside Kyrgyzstan has been unveiled, shining a light on the human side of the epidemic.

The five videos were written and drawn by Tatiana Zelenskaya, and animated by Egor Tanks during a two-month stay in Prague as part of our visual story-telling scheme. They have already garnered thousands of views on Kyrgyz and international media outlets and will help to keep awareness of the issue high among policymakers, the religious community and the wider public.

All the stories featured in the videos are based on real events.

It is estimated that anywhere between 10 to 30 women and girls are kidnapped every day and put into forced marriages in Kyrgyzstan. That is despite recent high-profile campaigns and calls by international bodies, including the United Nations, resulting in new laws which prohibit the practice and punish religious leaders who sanction forced marriages.

Kloop.Kg, an independent Kyrgz media outlet published the videos.

“The Stolen Bride” series

Visual story-telling Residencies

Our visual story-telling residencies scheme partners commercial artists from Eastern Europe and Central Asia with NGOs and activists to create visual civic campaigns. The scheme is designed to help link some of the best creative professionals from the region with the civic sector and help them find a way to use their artistic skills for social projects.