Investigators in Pakistan have discovered evidence showing that more than 600 Pakistani girls and women have been sold as brides to Chinese men and then taken to China, however, it doesn’t appear as though police will be able to do much to stop the human trafficking crisis.
The Associated Press obtained a list of 629 names of young women who had been taken as brides to China, largely between 2018 and April 2019. The list is part of a Pakistani police investigation that has reportedly been slowed due to pressure from government officials who are concerned about upsetting ties with China and from powerful gangs involved in the trade.
Back in October, a court in Faisalabad acquitted 31 Chinese nationals who had been charged with trafficking after several witnesses failed to show up for the trial. Police believe they were either threatened or bribed into silence.
Thanks to female infanticide and selective abortion resulting from the now-defunct “one-child policy,” China is believed to have over 30 million more men than women, making brides from neighboring nations a hot commodity in rural parts of the country.
These women are often beaten, raped, and held captive by their new “husbands” in China, forbidden from contacting their families back home.
In the case of Pakistan, impoverished families of the country’s Christian minority are particularly targeted. One official told the AP that Chinese and Pakistani brokers can make between 4 million and 10 million rupees ($25,000 and $65,000) from a groom while just 200,000 rupees ($1,500) of that sum makes it to the bride’s family.
