The trafficking of Cambodian “brides” to China has risen sharply this year with mass job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic driving more young women and girls abroad to support their families, according to two charities that help victims.
Over the past decade, tens of thousands of women from Southeast Asia have been sent to China by criminal networks promising lucrative jobs, only to be sold as brides – some to abusive men – as China grapples with a huge gender imbalance.
Anti-trafficking organisations said the impact of coronavirus on Cambodia’s garment, hospitality and tourism sectors had fuelled a spike in “bride trafficking” this year.
