IRIN/Phnom Penh
Bride trafficking to China from Southeast Asian countries which do not border on that country looks set to grow, says the UN, with the first reported cases from Cambodia in 2012.
“The numbers of identified cases are still small, but this number could rise given the social demographics in play,” said Lisa Rende Taylor, chief technical adviser for the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP), noting that in the past marriage trafficking to China had only been known from countries bordering China (Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam).
In China, government figures for 2012 indicated that there were 117.78 newborn boys for every 100 newborn girls. It is estimated there will be 24mn more men than women at marrying age by 2020.
In 2012, at least three suspected cases of marriage trafficking were reported from Cambodia, with hundreds more from the region. Most cases go unreported.
