Foreign women lured and trafficked to meet marriage demands in rural China
Warning from Beijing Sparks Global Concern
On Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh issued a blunt warning: avoid illegal cross-border marriages. The statement targeted deceptive matchmaking services and the notion of “buying a foreign wife.” Chinese state-run media amplified the alert. But beneath this lies a deeper crisis—what sociologists call shengnan shidai, or “the age of leftover men.”
Human Rights Watch and other organisations have uncovered a growing trend. Women from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar are being trafficked into China. The aim? To serve as brides for millions of Chinese men unable to find wives at home.
A Demographic Time Bomb
China is paying the price for decades of gender imbalance. In the early 2000s, 121 boys were born for every 100 girls. The effects are now fully visible. Men from the generation born in the 1980s are reaching middle age—without partners.
Media reports estimate that between 30 and 50 million Chinese men will remain unmarried between 2020 and 2050. The situation is especially dire in rural regions, where marriage prospects are even bleaker.
In response, some political figures have floated controversial proposals. Among them: lowering the legal marriage age for women to expand the potential pool.
Foreign Brides Filling the Gap
With millions of Chinese men left without partners, demand for foreign brides has soared. Trafficking has become a disturbing “solution.” Rural poverty in neighbouring countries provides traffickers with a steady supply of vulnerable women.
Chinese traffickers, often posing as job recruiters, travel to poor regions in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal. They promise women work, education, or a better life in China. But what awaits them is very different.
Upon arrival, most women have their documents seized. Movement is restricted. Some are locked in rooms and “sold” for $5,000 to $20,000, depending on their age and appearance.
A Life of Abuse and Isolation
Many of these women are taken to isolated villages. There, they endure rape, violence, and forced childbirth. Some are treated as property—purchased, not partnered. Escape is nearly impossible.
In 2019, Human Rights Watch published a harrowing report. It documented dozens of cases involving women trafficked from northern Myanmar. That same pattern is now seen in Nepal and Bangladesh.
Trafficked women rarely receive help. Instead, those who attempt to flee are arrested and treated as illegal immigrants. Punishments are harsh, and support systems are scarce.
Matchmaking or Modern Slavery?
Legally, marriage agencies exist in China. But they are forbidden from arranging cross-border marriages. In practice, enforcement is weak. A shadow industry flourishes in the background.
Chinese men—often farmers or manual labourers—turn to these services out of desperation. Many cannot afford traditional dowries or match local expectations. Traffickers exploit this fear. They offer “bride packages” and marriage tours. Loneliness becomes a business opportunity.
Ming Gao, a researcher at Lund University, highlights the scale of this problem. “The growing demand for these brides, particularly in rural areas, has fuelled a rise in illegal marriages,” she writes. “This includes marriages involving trafficked women and, at times, minors.”
Disturbing Testimonies from Myanmar
A 112-page report titled Give Us a Baby, and We’ll Let You Go details the horrors of this system. It includes testimonies from 37 women trafficked from Myanmar’s Kachin and northern Shan states.
Their stories are chilling. Women were promised factory jobs, then sold for $3,000 to $13,000. Once in China, they were confined, assaulted, and forced to bear children. Families of victims shared similar experiences—marked by fear, loss, and silence.
An Open Secret
The Chinese government knows this is happening. But its response has been minimal. Some believe Beijing fears social unrest if enforcement gets too strict. After all, millions of single men remain without partners.
Until stronger measures are taken, the trafficking will continue. Foreign brides will be “imported” to fill a marriage gap rooted in old policies and current desperation.
For now, the trafficked women remain hidden. Locked in rural homes. Stripped of freedom. Awaiting rescue in a nation unwilling to fully face its demographic crisis.
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