A large gender imbalance in China, caused by the country’s one-child policy and cultural preference for boys, has contributed to an increase in the trafficking of Cambodian women into China for forced marriages, according to a recent report from UN Action for Cooperation against Trafficking in Persons (“UN-ACT”).   The study focused on 42 women who were coerced into forced marriage in China, analyzing “the recruitment, brokering, transportation and exploitation patterns” for the trafficked women. Many of the women were looking for better paying jobs outside their home countries and were tricked into believing they would find opportunities in China. Once across the border, the women said they were threatened with heavy financial burdens to repay brokers; kept imprisoned with the loss of passports and other ID’s; suffered food deprivation; and were sexually assaulted in attempts to froce them to marry Chinese men. Both Cambodia and China have laws prohibiting forced marriage.

The reports’ authors recommended that the two countries “establish regular, well-monitored migration channels” for marriage and employment activities; ensure that Chinese and Cambodian officials have sufficient knowledge and awareness of forced marriage; and provide medical and social services to trafficked women in China and Cambodia.

The full report, “Human Trafficking Vulnerabilities in Asia: A Study on Forced Marriage between Cambodia and China,” may found on UN-ACT’s website.

Compiled from: New in ‘Research’: A UN-ACT Study on Forced Marriage between Cambodia and China, UN Action for Cooperation against Trafficking in Persons, Updates (August 25, 2016).