International marriages, instead of being the happy ending people dream of, are quite often a source of severe social and domestic problems -- especially for marriages that involve the exchange of money.
As Vietnam becomes Taiwan's number one source of foreign brides, more and more family problems have emerged from Taiwan-Vietnam marriages. Vietnamese women are facing a wide variety of crippling problems -- from language barriers to employment to domestic violence.
Taiwan's YWCA and other welfare groups are planning to launch social programs to specifically address these new problems. In a joint discussion yesterday, speakers said the first fundamental step that needs to be taken is to help improve communication between spouses.
According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, there are 21,349 Vietnamese women currently married to Taiwanese men and living in Taiwan. Most live in Ilan, Nantou, Taichung, Changhua, Chiayi and Kaohsiung counties.
Hu Shi-hui, (胡士慧) a deputy director at the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office, said most Vietnamese wives have difficulty overcoming language barriers with their husbands and families. Most enjoyed little or no courtship before their marriage, having been brought together by matchmakers -- mostly travel agents. One case reportedly cost about NT$300,000.
Compounding their difficulties, Vietnamese brides have had a tough time applying for Alien Residence Certificates, without which they cannot legally work in Taiwan, Hu says.
"It sometimes takes three to four years for foreign spouses to be issued with an Alien Resident Certificate, but many of these women need to work to support their families," he said. "Most of them do not want to depend on their husbands. But in some families, their passports have been withheld from them by their Taiwanese husbands."
The Ilan County Government's women's protection center has provided assistance to Vietnamese women caught in such situations. Shi Jin-hsin (施金杏), a social worker at the center, said it was difficult to approach the women to offer their services because of the language barrier. "Besides, some husbands did not want their wives involved in social activities," she said.
There are more than 500 married Vietnamese women in Ilan County, according to Shi, some of whom are victims of domestic violence. "Many are getting divorced because they had no knowledge of what they were getting into," she said.
As many of the abused women are unable to receive a welfare allowance from the government -- because they have no ID -- for some, the only way out is to return home, Shi said.
Sylvia F. Ting, a supervisor at the YWCA, said the group would start a national program to help Vietnamese women adjust to the environment. It would include Chinese classes in the counties where the largest population of Vietnamese women reside and pre-marriage education courses in Taiwan and Vietnam.
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