Easy Prey: Illicit Enterprising Activities and the Trafficking of Vietnamese Women in China

Marriage Trafficking: Demand, Exploitation, and Conducive Contexts—A Study in China–Vietnam Border Areas

“…Finally, there is an increasing feminization of migration flows all along the China–Vietnam border, with Vietnamese women crossing the border in search of better labor opportunities and livelihoods (Guangmao, 2000; Huang, 2020). In many cases, traffickers lure women across the border by promising them fictitious employment (Liang, 2018; Liu et al, 2020; Xiaoying & Bihua, 2006).…”

“…A 2020 quantitative study reveals trafficked victims’ sociodemographic characteristics by drawing on data derived from official Chinese judicial records, analyzing conviction cases of forced marriage over a five-year period involving 536 Vietnamese women trafficked to China (Liu et al, 2020). The results show that the majority of victims were poorly educated, unemployed, or underemployed, and that most trafficking was carried out under the guise of employment opportunities (Liu et al, 2020). A 2017 quantitative study looks at 51 Vietnamese women trafficked to China to be wives and illustrates the sexual abuse, incarceration, and posttraumatic stress disorders that women experience after being trafficked, highlighting areas where legal attention is needed to understand and assist women trafficked for marriage (Stöckl et al, 2017).…”

“…Current research on marriage trafficking along the China-Vietnam border is predominantly quantitative and focuses mostly on the experiences of survivors who have exited trafficking situations. A 2020 quantitative study reveals trafficked victims' sociodemographic characteristics by drawing on data derived from official Chinese judicial records, analyzing conviction cases of forced marriage over a five-year period involving 536 Vietnamese women trafficked to China (Liu et al, 2020). The results show that the majority of victims were poorly educated, unemployed, or underemployed, and that most trafficking was carried out under the guise of employment opportunities (Liu et al, 2020).…”

“…On the Vietnam side, labor is relatively abundant, but capital is scarce and wages are relatively low, while on the China side, there are more job opportunities as well as labor shortages due to the workforce migrating to coastal cities for work (Wang, 2019). As a result, a large number of Vietnamese come to China in search of better job opportunities (Liu et al, 2020). In addition, the high level of movement of people along the border is associated with reciprocal trade, mainly trade in low-cost consumer items manufactured on the Chinese side and agricultural products manufactured on the Vietnamese side (Grillot & Zhang, 2017; Gu & Womack, 2000).…”

“…Despite its prevalence, marriage trafficking remains under-researched in academic literature and governmental and nongovernmental reports and is less systematically studied than other forms of human trafficking (Quek, 2018). The theoretical and empirical literature on marriage trafficking is limited, characterized by the collection of data on trafficked women who have successfully exited their forced marriages (see, e.g., Liu et al, 2020; Stöckl et al, 2017), and by a focus on exploring the macro-level push and pull (economic, political, and legal) factors that drive the marriage trafficking market (see, e.g., Duong et al, 2007; Zhao, 2003). Although these studies are crucial in shedding light on the underlying causes and consequences of the booming marriage trafficking market, the empirical literature is still lacking in attempts to link the demand and exploitation of marriage trafficking to the institution of marriage, in data on trafficked women who do not successfully escape or who remain in the marriage, and in investigations of the context conducive to trafficking in trafficking areas.…”