The Cambodian authorities have halted processing foreigners’ applications for marriage licenses to wed Cambodians. The policy was implemented after a report showed that cases of human trafficking have increased and that the women are entering potentially abusive situations. The directive to halt processing of licenses was met by a corresponding move from the Korean embassy to stop approving marriage visas. The directive aims to “curb negative activities and to improve the nation’s and girls’ reputations an value, the Interior Ministry has issued the order… to temporarily suspend the issuing of permission and marriage certificates form Cambodian citizens to get married to foreigners until there is a new order.” Women’s Affairs Ministry Secretary of State You Ay confirmed that the directive applies to both men and women marrying foreigners, but that it would only apply until the government has set up a “legal framework to address mixed marriages”.

The report that sparked government action was published by the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), entitled “The Marriage Brokerage System from Cambodia to Korea.” It reported that 1,759 marriage visas were issued by the South Korean embassy in Cambodia in 2007, a huge increase from only 72 that were issued in 2004. More than 400 have already been issued in the first quarter of 2008 alone, an embassy official said.

The IOM report also cites a few cases where the woman was met with abusive conditions while living with her husband's family in Korea.

The issue of trafficking becomes even more ominous as the report says marriage brokers pocket most of the US$10,000 to US$20,000 fee paid by the prospective husbands, and that only around US$1000 goes to the bride's family. The fees sometimes cover language lessons and a trip to the capital, Phnom Penh, where they are introduced alongside a few hundred other hopeful women, to men seeking brides.

The neighbouring country Vietnam also initiated a similar crackdown on marriage broker agencies after human rights organisations exposed the level of trafficking of women from Vietnam to men from China, Taiwan, and Korea.

But marriage migration in Asia remains a highly complex issue, that requires further investigation into the realities faced by women, men and children in such situations. There is a need for an extensive sense not just of the negative experiences in marriage migration, but also the success stories. And perhaps most importantly, a deeper appreciation of the role migrant service providers play in support of the women and families in marriage migration, particularly when there is evidence of abuse and exploitation. These are only some of the issues being interrogated by networks such as ARENA or the Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives.


Sources:
Agence France-Presse (2008, April 3). Cambodia suspends marriages to foreigners—official. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on April 29, 2008, from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080403-128229/Cambodia-suspends-marriages-to-foreigners--official

Byrne, R. (2008, April 14).  Cambodia suspends foreign marriages. Voice of America News. Retrieved on April 25, 2008, from http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-14-voa22.cfm

Lodish, E. (2008, April, 3). South Korea embassy suspends marriage visas. The Cambodia Daily