A law passed in Taiwan banning for-profit agencies that arrange transnational marriages between local men and poor Southeast Asian women. Men pay up to $10,000 for trips to China, Indonesia or Vietnam, where they “shop” for a bride. Women from less developed countries often view these marriages as their only opportunity to escape poverty. Transnational marriages brokered by Taiwanese agencies hold a potential for danger for the brides. The women enter relationships in which they do not have an equal share of power. As a result, the women can be victims of domestic violence or even trafficking and sexual exploitation. If the marriage fails, prostitution might become their only option.
Taiwan’s new law forces agencies to register with the government as non-profit organizations. There is a fine of up to $15,000 for advertising transnational marriage.
Compiled from: "Taiwan MPs Agree to Stop Overseas Marriage Brokers," Ralph Jennings, Reuters, 1 June 2007.