CNI News

17 May 2024

Bride trafficking market in which brokers cheat and take way, giving Myanmar women at the China-Myanmar border area an incentive that jobs would be available to be wives of Chinese men is getting bigger, philanthropic associations in Muse told CNI News. 

300 Myanmar people or so are daily leaving for the Chinese side through Muse with a one-time use border pass card and red book border pass whose validity is one month each.

Although the bride trafficking market for Chinese men had existed since before, because of job scarcity at present, the market was getting bigger, U Sein Hla Aung, vice chairman of Kanlet Kunyi Philanthropic Association, told CNI News.

 

"All the cases regarding the red book, one week border pass card and UID are just fake. But the people are leaving for the Chinese side. Some women went to China knowingly that there is bride trafficking on the Chinese side. Others came to know they were trafficked only when they had arrived there. One time use of border pass card holders and red book holders can leave China anytime. One week's card is not reliable. To tell you the truth, if possible, you shouldn't go to China. Don't come if you don't have a UID." he said.

When women are called to work as wives of Chinese men, brokers or liars tend to use Facebook and WeChat, social media platforms reportedly. Women often are sold to Yunnan Province to be wives of Chinese men and a woman could be sold at 10,000 yuans there reportedly.

Human trafficking markets existed before and authorities were weak in taking action against the culprits, reviewed those who discussed human trafficking.

In cases of human trafficking, rather than being assisted by other organizations, scrutiny and action by authorities was mainly important. However, women concerned  are more important, Ko Naing Naing Aung, director of the Arakan Workers Organization, told CNI News.

"Myanmar is different from its neighboring countries in the policy tackling human trafficking. If you commit more than human trafficking, it can become a crime. For example, people are sold and they are sent to another place. But if these people are not tortured, killed or subjected to violence, it's not a serious crime. If not, it's a serious crime." he said.

In most cases of human trafficking, they are because of the incentives of familiar people and women from Yangon, Bago, Magway and other townships including the women near the China-Myanmar border area are being trafficked reportedly.