Brides for sale: Pakistan’s secret bride market where young girls are ‘sold’ to Chinese men for just Rs…, its located in…

Pakistan Bride Market: Its no secret that Pakistan has essentially turned into a vassal state of China due to the overwhelming debt it owes Beijing, forcing Islamabad to hand over control of strategic areas like the Gwadar Port to its “iron brother”. However, there is a much more darker side to Pakistan’s growing dependence on China, as young Pakistani girls, many of whom are underage, being sold to Chinese men at a ‘bride market’ for as low as $700.

Where is Pakistan’s secret ‘bride market’?

According to media reports, while there is no set place for the so-called ‘bride market’ in Pakistan, the practice is rampant in the country’s border villages with China, as Pakistani and Chinese brokers often travel to these remote hamlets where they buy young girls from their poverty-riddled families for $700-3,200 (PKR 2-9 lakh).

The ‘price’ of the girl depends on her age and physical attractiveness, and younger, more beautiful girls often fetch higher prices, according to reports.

These young girls are then sold off to wealthy Chinese men as ‘brides’ under the garb of ‘marriage’, but rights groups have pointed out that the practice is essentially a form of sex and human trafficking as the girls are often forced to live the life of a sex slave in their ‘owner’s’ home.

Why families sell off daughters in Pakistan?

According to human rights watchdogs, the practice stems from the deteriorating economic conditions in Pakistan, where poverty and gender imbalance in remote border villages often forces families to sell their daughters in ‘marriage’ to wealthy Chinese men for a paltry sum.

While viral social media claims like “wife for Rs 1.5 lakh” and “parents for free” are often used to troll these unfortunate people, the reality much harsher. Crippling poverty forces people in remote border regions, especially from the Christian community, to sell their young daughters to Chinese men under the pretext of marriage.

Apart from the money, the families also send the girl’s siblings to China, and often ailing parents also accompany the bride to her new home, exacerbating the human trafficking part of the problem.

Which girls are in ‘demand’?

As per investigators, majority of the victims are between 12-18 years old and come from a Christian background, reflecting the despicable condition of Pakistan’s poor minorities. In 2019, Pakistani investigators confirmed over 629 cases where gangs had sent young girls to China on the pretext of ‘marriage’.

The investigations revealed that the girls were engaged in labour or forced into sex trade after being sold off by their own families.

How Pakistan’s bride market operates?

As per media reports, brokers, both Chinese and Pakistani, ‘buy’ these young girls from impoverished families in remote villages for a paltry sum, and used forged visas and passports to traffic them to China directly, and sometimes via other countries like Azerbaijan. Rights groups note that the practice walks a thin line between transactional marriage and human trafficking, and often results in gross exploitation of these young women.

Experts believe the practice also flourished due to China’s growing gender imbalance, which has 35 million ‘extra’ men due to its one-child policy.