Chinese police plan to clamp down on Web sites that sell group tours in which men meet “foreign brides” in Southeast Asian countries, as the practice leads to human trafficking and prostitution, the state-run China Daily reported yesterday.
The newspaper said that several so-called “marriage brokerages” were active in Vietnam, promising young women introductions to rich Chinese men from big cities, but with many women duped into being “sold” as brides to villagers in rural China.
“Some cross-border marriage brokerages or Web sites have been publishing tempting advertisements to introduce Vietnamese brides for cross-border marriages, but most involve kidnappings,” Wang Ying (王瑩), an official with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security responsible for combating human trafficking, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
“Once their client takes a liking to a foreign girl, they cheat her and persuade her to have a wedding in Vietnam, then charge their male client 30,000 to 50,000 yuan [US$4,900 to US$8,150] as a service charge,” Wang said.
The newspaper said some Vietnamese women were forced to become prostitutes in coastal or border areas of China.
Wang said police would be stepping up vigilance to counter trafficking of foreign women, particularly at bus stations and docks as well as along small country roads and mountain passes that traffickers use.
Wang did not give an estimate of the number of women trafficked through such marriage agencies.
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