Fake Marriage Traps in Women Trafficking 

Bangladesh’s population is slightly female dominated, yet women continue to face serious challenges to their economic security, dignity and social protection. Although women’s labour force participation stands at 42.7 per cent, overseas female migration for employment has declined sharply, with only about 56,292 women migrating between January 1 and December 6, 2025, nearly 47 per cent lower than in 2022. Meanwhile, violence against women and girls remains widespread, with nearly 12,000 experiencing extreme violence and more than 6,000 reportedly subjected to rape over the past five years. The threat increasingly extends beyond conventional violence and exploitation, as organised trafficking networks operate across borders, sometimes disguising trafficking arrangements as legitimate marriages. Among the most alarming forms is the trafficking of Bangladeshi women to China through fake marriages.

Statistics from 2020 to 2025 show that around 4,236 Bangladeshi women travelled to China on family visas. Many were allegedly lured with promises of a better life and economic security before being trafficked. Syndicates reportedly target economically disadvantaged and less educated women, particularly indigenous women from the hill tracts. Behind seemingly legitimate international marriages, family visas can serve as a legal cover for trafficking and exploitation.

Chinese nationals, local brokers and trafficking groups are reportedly involved in the process, exploiting poverty and economic insecurity. For impoverished families, an overseas marriage proposal can appear to offer an escape from hardship, allowing traffickers to turn that hope into a trap.

Second, Bangladesh’s patriarchal social structure restricts women’s choices in education, employment, mobility and marriage. As marriage is still widely viewed as a woman’s main source of social and economic security, dependence can leave women vulnerable to trafficking networks.

Third, local matchmakers, intermediaries and online platforms can easily gain families’ trust. With few accessible means to verify a foreign groom’s identity and background, traffickers can exploit the information gap through forged documents and false identities.

Fifth, Bangladesh lacks an effective system to track foreign nationals and monitor their movements. Criminals can exploit this weakness, leaving authorities with limited scope to identify suspects or pursue them after they leave the country.

Sixth, weak law enforcement and limited cross border legal cooperation allow trafficking networks to exploit administrative and judicial loopholes. Impunity, abuse of power and inadequate accountability further expose vulnerable women to serious risks.

Ultimately, trafficking under the guise of fake marriage is a cross border manifestation of poverty, patriarchy, gender inequality, limited employment and administrative weakness. Tackling it requires women’s economic empowerment, safe migration mechanisms, regulation of marriage brokers, public awareness and stronger bilateral legal and diplomatic cooperation.