Increasing Number of Young Rakhine Women Sold as Brides to China
On October 30, two women in their twenties, hailing fromSittwe and Kyaukpyu, were at risk of being sold as brides in Yunnan Province,China.
The Rakhine Social Association (Shweli) informed Narinjarathat a total of six young Rakhine women including the aforementioned two, havebeen rescued from the harrowing situation of being sold as brides to China.
"On October 25th, the Rakhine broker from Muse Townshipbrought two of them for employment, collaborating with a Shan broker from thisside. They were locked in a room.
Later when they grew suspicious, they reached out to us forassistance. In truth they were being prepared for sale as brides to China, andtheir abductors took photos of them. Many individuals are being subjected tosuch exploitation. We acted proactively to preventing their sale, but itremains a challenging situation. There are numerous cases where individuals inmainland China, thousands of miles away, have fallen victim to these practiceswithout their awareness," stated an official from the Rakhine SocialAssociation (Shweli).
The majority of young Rakhine women who are at risk of beingsold are typically aged between 17 and 29.
An official representing the Rakhine Social Association(Shweli) revealed that, in certain instances, family members themselvesencourage teenage girls within the community with alluring incentives.Subsequently, they make contact with brokers in the Shweli (Ruili) Township,situated along the China-Myanmar border, to arrange for their sale.
"These teenage Rakhine women are vulnerable due totheir lack of awareness, making them easy targets for brokers. This is why Iobserve brokers focusing on young girls within their own villages. Women whohave been sold, primarily those between 15 and 19 years old from the community,have found that inside their own communities, there is been a failure tocondemn this practice. Instead people from their own community entice them withincentives and the positive aspects. In some instances, they collaborate withRakhine brokers from Muse on the Myanmar border to facilitate thesearrangements,” he said.
Regarding the women who have been sold, he emphasized hisdesire to prioritize support for young women who are at risk of being sold,especially those who may be unaware and primarily consider the incentives, asopposed to women who willingly choose to work or do so due to differentcircumstances.
On October 22nd, the Rakhine Social Association (Shweli)intervened to prevent the sale of two teenage female friends from MinbyaTownship, who were intended to be trafficked as brides to China to the Sin Phyugate of Kyalgaung Township, situated along the China-Myanmar border, due toprior information from Muse.
Likewise, a teenage woman in Shweli (Ruili) Township managedto escape a near-trafficking situation where she was almost sold as a bride toChina.
Furthermore, there have been reports of a teenage girl whowas abandoned in Wan Tain Town, located approximately 5 miles from Shweli(Ruili) Township. This abandonment occurred because brokers were unable to sellher as a bride to China.
There are also reports of a significant number ofindividuals entering Kyalgaung, China from Shan State, Muse, at theChina-Myanmar border by acquiring a green card (commonly known as a one-weektravel permit card) for a fee of MMK 2,000.
According to an individual closely associated with theChinese government, the selling of young women from various ethnic groups,including Rakhine women, as commodities, is driven by Myanmar brokers who forcethem to sell at low prices to the Chinese due to the brokers' greed and moraldegradation. It is Important to note that this practice does not stem from weakChinese laws, and it is not officially approved by China.
Regarding the issue of women being sold as brides to China,women between the ages of 18 and 25 can potentially earn 50,000- 70,000 Chineseyuan. However, brokers exploit this situation by falsely claiming that thesewomen will only receive about a tenth of that amount, when they proceed to sellyoung Rakhine women, he explained.
Rakhine State, grappling with the consequences of theCOVID-19 pandemic, ongoing conflict, economic turmoil in the aftermath of thecoup, and the recent devastation caused by Cyclone Mocha, has left the peopleof Rakhine facing dire economic hardships and a range of difficulties in theirdaily lives.
Women's rights activists highlight that the scarcity oflocal job opportunities and the impacts of poverty, are driving women fromvarious ethnic groups in Rakhine State, including Rakhine women, to seekemployment in neighboring countries such as mainland China and Middle Easternnations.
The chairperson of the Rakhine Women's InitiativeOrganization explained, "Theprimary cause behind this is poverty. When the community cannot provide thenecessary conditions for livelihood, and when families struggle to make endsmeet, young women feel compelled to seek economic opportunities. This drivesthem to consider taking up work and moving to places where such opportunitiesare more accessible. When people venture to neighboring countries, includingChina, often due to human trafficking and illegal labor, it's typically theyounger women in the community, who lack a formal education. They may notthoroughly investigate the situation when connecting with brokers; the prospectof securing a job alone seems appealing. This vulnerability has led some ofthem into situations where they are sold. Some individuals realize thepotential outcome of being sold, but they initially set out to work, only tofind themselves in situations where they are coerced into selling their ownbodies. It's primarily a result of the desire to avoid returning homeempty-handed and the belief that selling their bodies is a way to escapepoverty and secure financial resources. Furthermore, the community'straditional way of life is no longer sufficient to meet modern needs, whichfurther exacerbates this situation."
Moreover, it's highlighted that simply raising awareness isnot enough to combat these incidents. It's also pointed out that as long assustainable job opportunities are not created for the impoverished villagers,the likelihood of such incidents repeating remains a concern.
"Primarily, awareness remains significantly lacking. Onthe other hand, there is a pressing need to disseminate information about humantrafficking within the village and establish small-scale enterprises forwomen," she emphasized.
An official from the Rakhine Literature and CultureAssociation (Muse) disclosed that there are nearly 2,000 Rakhine individualsholding one-week cards, waiting to cross the border in Muse Township, Myanmar,along with those who are waiting to obtain a one-week card.
"There are 30-40 people residing in Rakhine eateries inMuse, with over 20 such establishments of this kind. Additionally, manyindividuals are staying in the homes of acquaintances, and some of them don'teven have a proper place to sleep," he said.
At the moment, the Muse-Ruili border crossing on theChina-Myanmar border has a limit of allowing only 600 people to enter. As ofNovember 5, an official from the Humanitarian Assistance Network, which isassisting in the distribution of tokens, reported that nearly 6,000 people whointend to enter China from Myanmar have been issued tokens.
From 2013 to October 2023, nearly 200 individuals were soldin China, spanning in age from 17 to over 40 years old. According to therecords of the Rakhine Social Association (Shweli), it is possible that manyRakhine women have been unknowingly sold in China.
We must sincerely hope that among those arriving fromMyanmar, none will fall victim to being sold by unscrupulous brokers in China,and that those who perceive themselves as victims will not be part of thistragic situation.
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