Although the practice is illegal in Kyrgyzstan, bride kidnappers are rarely prosecuted. This reluctance to enforce the code is in part caused by the pluralistic legal system in Kyrgyzstan where many villages are "de facto" ruled by councils of elders and "aqsaqal" courts following customary law, away from the eyes of the state legal system. "Aqsaqal" courts, tasked with adjudicating family law, property and torts, often fail to take bride kidnapping seriously. In many cases, "aqsaqal" members are invited to the kidnapped bride's wedding and encourage the family of the bride to accept the marriage.