The problem of human trafficking in Southeast Asia has been in the spotlight over the last year, with the Chinese government expressing concern over Chinese citizens being lured or trafficked for use in illegal and dangerous Myanmar-based scam centres.
But there is also trafficking in the other direction – people being trafficked from Myanmar into China. Poverty and lack of employment opportunities in Myanmar are driving the willingness of both men and women to seek employment in China.
One area of particular concern, highlighted by local Myanmar media, is the significant number of young Rakhine women being trafficked and forced into marriages with Chinese men in Yunnan Province, China. Women's rights activists highlight that the scarcity of local job opportunities and the impacts of poverty, are driving women from various ethnic groups in Rakhine State to seek employment in neighbouring countries such as mainland China and Middle Eastern nations. This trafficking is not new, but it has gone up a notch due to the COVID-19 lockdowns and in the wake of the 2021 military coup.
As the chairperson of the Rakhine Women's Initiative Organization explained to local media, "The primary cause behind this is poverty. When the community cannot provide the necessary conditions for livelihood, and when families struggle to make ends meet, young women feel compelled to seek economic opportunities. This drives them to consider taking up work and moving to places where such opportunities are more accessible. When people venture to neighbouring countries, including China, often due to human trafficking and illegal labour, it's typically the younger women in the community, who lack a formal education. They may not thoroughly investigate the situation when connecting with brokers; the prospect of securing a job alone seems appealing.”
A significant number of Myanmar women find themselves told as wives to Chinese men.
The chairperson says this vulnerability has led some of them into situations where they are sold. Some individuals realise the potential outcome of being sold, but they initially set out to work, only to find themselves in situations where they are coerced into selling their own bodies. It's primarily a result of the desire to avoid returning home empty-handed and the belief that selling their bodies is a way to escape poverty and secure financial resources. Furthermore, the community's traditional way of life is no longer sufficient to meet modern needs, which further exacerbates this situation.
China faces demographic challenges, with an aging population, more men than women, and a large percentage of young people unemployed. There is a ready market for “wives”, particularly in the Chinese countryside as many young people have moved to the cities. Many men are left single and find it difficult to meet a suitable partner – hence the market in Myanmar women.
