The Phnom Penh Post reports that a ban prohibiting marriage between Cambodians and foreigners has ended. The ban, implemented in March 2008, sought to prevent false marriages that promoted human trafficking or sexual exploitation. The article notes that many poor and uneducated Cambodian women were marrying South Korean men as a result of marriage brokers. The article observes that although the ban has been lifted, regulations are still in place. Foreigners who wish to marry Cambodians, for example, must obtain a marriage license in person. According to the article, this provision seeks to prevent internet activity that could lead to human trafficking and exploitation. In addition, new regulations aim to curtail the publication of Cambodian women and girls' photographs on the websites of international marriage brokers.
Importantly, one of the new regulations emphasizes that each individual must enter into marriage voluntarily.
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Compiled from: Chhay Channyda, “Foreign Marriage Ban Lifted," Phnom Penh Post, 27 November 2008.