Mail Order Brides
How would you like a bride to go with the figure, LAN cable and pizza that you just ordered?
According to Professor Chyong-fang Ko from the Taiwanese Central Research Institute, Vietnamese brides account for 35% of 338,000 foreign brides in Taiwan, or around 118,300 women, mainly from the south of Vietnam.
Women like Huynh Mai are the victims of a practice that is fast becoming more popular. According to the Korean Statistics Office, the total number of Vietnamese brides married to Korean men nearly doubled to 10,131 in 2006 from 5,822 in 2005. In an interview with The Yale Globalist, social worker Bui Van Anh from the province of Ben Tre said, "In some villages here, almost everyone has family members or knows someone who is married to foreign men."
Thanks to Jason who spends time watching a lot of vids when he should be working (at Lucas Film) ^^
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BioResearch Assistant
So sad. The girl Ah Chou is very pretty indeed but to have to be sold off as a bride in order to escape poverty is very tragic. Considering the other option (prostitution) this is the 'lesser' of the two evils. I hope they treat her with the respect and honor she deserves.
Bottom line though, this should never happen. Unfortunate that it does.
Student
http://miri.textcube.com/
I agree with you; it's quite depressing that the world is in such state as of today. People do need the respect they deserve as a living being, and I doubt women would enjoy being a prostitute.
Supreme Commander of NERV Co.
Makes me wanna cry...
Consultant
http://www.justin.tv/denshaotoko
I know a few guys in my area that have a mail order bride. They seem to get along really well so I think that everyone needs somebody in their lives. Alot of lonely people out there that shouldn't have to be alone.
Student
I never knew this was getting popular... Don't know whether this is a good decision or not because im not really in there position, so i cant judge. i hope that all goes well in the end ^^
Actor, Moviemaker and Blogger.
http://sitedofonseca.blogspot.com
Welcome to the NHK!!! LoL!!
大学生徒
http://ichinichijuu.blogspot.com/
Haha, seconded.
http://darkdam.deviantart.com/
well at least she wasn't tricked into human trafficking, that would be the worst, but I'm sure there are some fake companies out that that probably do use this opportunity to traffic women.
College Freshmen
I think I remember that kind of thing happening. It might not have been international though. I think it was like people living in the countryside and being tricked when they went to the city or something along those lines.
http://darkdam.deviantart.com/
there was a 2 hour tv program called human trafficking which was although fictional, would have been what happens to victims of trafficking.
I paint F/A-18C's
Thats a huge distinction. Not being tricked into human trafficking. I would imagine its VERY hard to know whats going to happen beforehand though. Considering this girl was basically sold in an hour.
former Emperor of Britannia
http://reflectiarx.wordpress.com/
GOD!!! I'm still shocked as to why some women do this kind of thing. Plus, like what the girl stated in the video about her interaction with her husband. She'll definitely have a hard time since she knows nothing about her husbands personality let alone his other aspects.
Oh well, we can't force our principles to them given the fact that it took a great resolve
for them to do this.
Overall, i don't approve of it.
BioResearch Assistant
In third world countries, sometimes it's the only way to escape a life of poverty. A lack of good education and job opportunities translate into a basic dead end for many families. They can't afford to get out of it and are often taken advantage of by the corrupt.
When cornered like that they have to use what they've got and for women it's physical attraction. They have a "chance" at a better life...however, that's not exactly true.
I agree there, she's going to have a hard time adapting to someone she barely knows. Domestic violence can be a major problem. Physical, emotional, mental abuse. The fact these men just go in and pick out a woman they want doesn't exactly mean they'll stay faithful. At the very least, the best thing she gets out of this is a home away from home. There are good people out there though, and she could end up happily married for the rest of her life. It's still not a certainty.
These women are still being sold, and the premise is on par with prostitution regardless of the fact it's a "setup marriage".
Nekophilia
Mail order bride... I wouldn't mind if its Chobits ^^
But real human with flesh and blood..... sounds a bit wrong.
Pseudo-Graphic Designer, 触手 wrangler, H-Man
http://lightningsabre.blogspot.com/
I wouldn't mind if it's Kemeko with MM inside XD
No more NEET, enineering student now...g
http://saiseki.blogsome.com/
I want to order a Misaka Misaka ^^;
Nekophilia
"MISAKA is only for experimental purposes, and not for mail orders" MISAKA explains patiently.
"It would be different if you were a research subject" MISAKA further elaborates.
Polytechnic Junior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer In-training.
http://thehangerbay.wordpress.com/
Good thing they don't come with a temper. XDDD
Student
http://miri.textcube.com/
I wouldn't mind if MM came out, either ;)
Nekophilia
MM would BUST into ur room instead of mail order. ^^
NEET part-time - Technical Support Officer - Network security engineer
http://burugureibi.blogspot.com/
this really puts a spin on the label 'instant-generation'
Blogger, consultant
http://www.netharuka.com
It's a particularly common practice in rural Korean communities as many Korean women don't want to marry men who are farmers and opt to move to the city. The only option left for many Korean male farmers who want wives and children are foreign brides. Predictably, many marriages are not happy ones for either party for cultural problems, racism and Korean family obligations can cause terrible tensions. Brides frequently run away because of those reasons and to escape physical abuse by the male partner.
Some of the saddest examples of this phenomenon happen in the borderline area of North Korea and China where North Korean women agree to become the wives of rural Chinese farmers in order to escape the country. Those Korean women have absolutely no recourse since their Chinese husband can turn them into the government if they are in any way displeased with them; the Korean women illegally entered China and have no political rights. Physical abuse in such situations is unfortunately common.
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
What a craptastic nation to let such horrors go on. I'd rather live in poverty than sell off my body to a 40-year old perv. Actually, I'd rather die than sink that low. I would never dishonor my family, and most importantly, myself just because my parents didn't make enough money for me to live.
I hate how women are still commodities in this world. There obviously exists a glass ceiling. It only reinforces my suspicions about why I get degraded for making it to MIT but none of the other 3 guys in Utah who made it get that horrific treatment on a daily basis.
Sorry this sounds PMS-ey. ^^;
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
Sorry. Danny could you delete this comment? I said something I shouldn't've said. >.>;
BioResearch Assistant
True, however it's not only restricted to just omen.
In the Philippines there are cases where children, as young as 6, are seen as mere items and trafficked. They were either lured or kidnapped then sold in the slum markets. It's disgusting.
Student
http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/miteiru/
So women and children ;_;
BioResearch Assistant
Unfortunately so.
There was this one documentary I watched where an undercover team (consisting a father looking for his daughter and I believe some agents from the CIA since the father was American) went into one of the slums to scope out a reported brothel. They acted as customers and were lead to a room full of kids.
The next night they raided the building.
Investigating that one trafficking ring lead them to a doctor's office in China. Supposedly he was the one orchestrating the entire affair. He would do a side job as some sort of music manager, telling families they're kid was special and could perform on stage and he would turn them into stars. So the families left them in his hands thinking he would treat them well. They would set up auditions at bars and the likes and if the child was good they would continue. However, if they performed under expectation then they would be trafficked in order to make up for the management fees he charged.
Naturally, the doctor's office wouldn't return calls. They even flew there to see him to which he denied any allegations and avoided being videotaped.
aspiring to become a doujin and graphics artist cum lawyer
http://aki7.bottled-wish.info
its a social stigma and unfortunately, its a disturbing phenomenon alongside child pronography etc.
and raz, not being a rash person, I think its more politically corret to mention as "developing nation" instead of third world...hope you dont mind that :)
@ Mimi-san: I do find that I want to keep your comment for some reason, I want it there cause it speaks for how I feel too...and wow on your MIT! prove 'em that you're as good as anyone else :D
BioResearch Assistant
Ah, yes. "Third World" is more of an obsolete these days.
It's been some time since I've been back to the Philippines. Hoping to go summer next year.
Mahasiswa yang terdampar di Singapura.
http://lolipedofin.wordpress.com/
You don't have any idea how these girls are brought.... How smart they are, and all other aspects... It doesn't bewildered me much that there are girls willing, or in some cases though unwilling but in the end helplessly drawn to the business in the end... What pissed me is the fact that there are people who are making profit out of all this, that these thing is going on and the world just shrug their shoulder and goes, "[sigh] oh well..."
Believe me.. There was once a girl working my house when i just about 8, she is working as a maid, to put it simply, she is uneducated aaannd... well, a little stupid. Once she was raped, and got pregnant at my house... the culprit was a construction worker doing some renovation at my place... my mum found out when she forced her to take pregnancy test.. You know what she answered to my mum when she was asked??
My mum (MM): Do you know that you're pregnant?
The girl (TG): Pregnant, what's that??
MM: (deeply thinking) There's a baby in your stomach
TG: What??!! baby??!! really? so that's why it's getting heavy... I thought there's stone inside.
MM: (bewildered) Who did this to you??
TG: did what??
MM: made you pregnant! who's the one made you pregnant??
TG: (confused)
MM: Do you remember a guy ever forced something on you??
TG: (thinking) Oh yeah! I remember, one time when i was sleeping, "this guy" hopped on top of me and pressed himself on me... I don't understand what he was doing, though.
~~
I sheet you not!! that's exactly how the conversation goes... And you know what?? She's not a one-off... Sure she's more of a worse case, but she's definitely the only one with that level of intellectual... That's why it doesn't surprise me that stuffs like this happened...
PS: Btw Mimi, you're at MIT???? really?? O.O
dannychoo.com の読者
that's why thank god we have access to the Internet to download *ahem* and *ahem* and *ahem*
Student/Amateur Artist
http://poisondusk.wordpress.com/
It's really sad that someone would have so little access to sex education that she didn't even realise what had happened to her. I'd call it ignorance rather than stupidity, really - if she'd never been taught even how babies are made, it's understandable she would be confused.
Polytechnic Junior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer In-training.
http://thehangerbay.wordpress.com/
Desperate situation, desperate people. Though the person(s) who founded this industry must have been either stark raving mad or diabolical. I've heard it being compared to as "a more humane for of human trafficking". Mail-order brides ARE human trafficking; buyers are still purchasing humans as one would purchase items at a store.
Instead of building the IR, the resources could have been geared towards making such a blatant act non-existent. A real first-world nation wouldn't be selling lives.
unistudent
very sad, i dont get how even any of the 2 women could have any opinion concerning the matter since it seems she cant even understand mandarin, stills seems to be a form of human trafficking.
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/
I want to order a Misaki...
Pseudo-Graphic Designer, 触手 wrangler, H-Man
http://lightningsabre.blogspot.com/
It's an iffy situation to me. For one thing the girls will be taken away from the family, but may be at a better life and may even enjoy the company. Whereas the men are desperate enough to spend money to buy a bride, but at least they won't be alone. Though I guess some men just don't try hard enough to find one on their own. Still not a great practice, but it may be good for both parties involved. I especially hate the part about having to be a virgin... that annoyed me. I think if I'm a desperate man, I won't be that picky. Ok I guess I'd be picky about the and stds or such... But really to me doing this sort of thing is quite the dilemma since there are equal amounts of pros and cons for both parties.
Perhaps I'm just rambling, let me know if any of these points are controversial. I am naturally a neutralist.
university film student | ecchikid | the Archivist
http://www.vimeo.com/longhim
"I am naturally a neutralist." Maybe it comes with being Canadian. xD
I actually agree. No, it's not a good practice, but at the same time it's not like all the men want them there so they can abuse them. It'll certainly happen to some. But if any of them just wanted someone to sleep with there's actual prostitutes - wouldn't have to support another human being.
I find it more likely that these are men who are desperate or forced into finding a partner by social and familial pressure. And the former, at least, are just as likely to take care of them. They probably won't be men of their dreams or anywhere near their age, but it could beat living in poverty.
I'm pretty sure most of us here haven't had to grow up in such conditions though, so we can't really presume to understand - only sympathize.
Student, Performer
http://kesenaitsumi89.wordpress.com/
wow...just curious what kind of visa they got..
dannychoo.com の読者
i truthfully from the bottom of my heart hope that those that got married off really this way found what they really wanted, a good husband who really loves her.
Student, part-time Haruhi wannabe (that bit about godhood etc)
http://www.aprilius20.com
I'm too fussy with everything- I don't think I'd be able to chose one even if I was really desperate^^;
SNSD Lover
http://realtaku.wordpress.com/
This is an all too common problem in southern asian countries. Coming from Thailand an area near Vietnam, and being in Vietnam before I know these type of situations happens frequently. It is somewhat against my beliefs to do these things even though I have myself seen it happen more than most people. We are not all dealt the same hands in life, but selling yourself is giving your cards to someone else. Relationships are built on foundations such as experiences, and other factors, not just money and the ability to get married. I really just think this is a bad practice that should be ended. Too bad there is always that view of "If I get married I can leave my poor country."
Otaku level 23.4
I think it's some sort of conspiracy, lol.
???Confused???
Seemed like it was more of a lose lose situation for her...on one hand getting married to a foreigner and not knowing the customs and culture will create problems early on and may have a lasting impact on the marriage, not to mention she's alone and can't see her family for a long time...on the other hand there's no future in staying in a country that's developing slower than the others and most likely living a life of poverty and where limitations are clearly felt...it's a tough decision...well at least the choices presented to her all just sucked big time...
Gamer, Lecturer, Graphic Designer
http://striket.blogspot.com/
Hey that's the wallpaper I made a while back :D
http://www.sankakucomplex.com/
Lovely work!
Gamer, Lecturer, Graphic Designer
http://striket.blogspot.com/
Thankyu :]
Interaction design, Iphone game/app designer
I think if it is their choice, then who is to say anything against it?
However I certainly felt like throwing up after seeing it but thats my problem.
Student/Amateur Artist
http://poisondusk.wordpress.com/
It's really unfortunate that the only way out of poverty for them would be to participate in something like this. There are so many risks from things like abuse, and yet for them, the benefits outweigh the potential problems. It's got to be really scary leaving your country for the first time in your life and then being married off to someone you've never met before, when you don't even speak the same language, and you can't see your family.
The obsession with their virginity was pretty depressing as well - the way they were told that if they weren't virgins, nobody would want them, and the fact that they had to have a doctor certify it (how would they even do that anyway? Many women break their hymens through activities like sports).
I hope both of those girls are doing okay, the one who was chosen and the one who wasn't.
Dental Technician, i make teeth!
http://antsizedman.blogspot.com/
Once meet someone who had a mail away bride, had no idea what to say.
US Navy Sailor
http://punynari.wordpress.com/
It's real sad. I have never seen true poverty until I joined the Navy. People so hungry that they swarmed around sailors trying to sell anything for 1 or 2 dollars in Cambodia. Beads, newspapers, maps, services, anything. Can deffintly see how this can happen. Didn't see that as much in Vietnam, though we were around Da Nang/Hue tourist locations. They didn't take us to the poorer areas...
Student
Hmm, this trend can't be good...
student / NEET
well, a new path for life seems OK to me
ok, the dude who buy this girl is:
a great husband
-free her from misery of poverty, by buying her as a wife
-considering she is A WIFE, she could ask her husband to go to college or such & go work as a productive woman, i mean, they married her as a respected woman aren't they?
to be there when it is sad or happy?
-some years after "marriage" the wife could be an office lady or becoming manager in the husband office
this is the best ending/path for both
a couple that was created by money ,work together in their relationship to make what's best for them and their family
a dumb husband
-buy her
-screw her
-have kids
-that's it
seriously...
a scum husband
-buy her
-screw her
-can't support his family and her
this dude = fail at live, badly
a psycho
-buy her
-mu**** her and dump her
BADDEST path/ending, i dunno about if there is singapore psychopaths though
news with money you can buy everthing even a wife !!!! >_<
Injured
The idea of mail-order-brides has been around for years. I looked at one catalog long ago someone had at their house and I think thats how the guy got married and they looked quite happy to me (was about 1984). I've seen a few since then and the option seems good for places people want to get away from. Local areas can be full of unwanted people here in the USA just as much, there are many church related marriages and others that only wed into certain religions which dominate areas. I probably should have looked into it more in the 1980s as a way to find someone myself. AS for the new 'companys' setting up mail-order-bride services I can only hope there isn't a sham involved. Oh and to find someone who doesn't weigh 600 lbs would be a dream.
Journalist (in training)
http://thoughtscream.wordpress.com
The deplorable conditions that give rise to such an industry has no moral ground to stand on whatsoever. It is the wholesale exploitation of an entire economic caste of people, preying upon their drive to survive in even the most horrible of circumstances. Rather than simply turning a blind eye to such businesses, hoping that it'll somehow magically work out for the newly"wed" couple, there should be a two-pronged effort to both increase humanitarian aide for the impoverished, and to stamp out such exploitative practices. Having to /sell oneself/ to eat, or to make sure your family members can eat, cannot be considered a good thing under /any/ light, and any nation with the means of removing that hanging guillotine from our fellow members of the human race should consider it a moral imperative to do so.
That said, I'm lulzing at the image used for this post.
Limousine Driver
This practice offends my western values but i am forced to recognize that my values are not the same as these women. In the end, i can only hope for the best for them.
studying comp studies, planning to look for part time job
http://bruneian-otaku.blogspot.com
I'm not agree with this mail order bride cause for me its like 'buying' her
studying comp studies, planning to look for part time job
http://bruneian-otaku.blogspot.com
and money can't buy love, objections anyone? ^^
student / NEET
can't buy, but can create
Student, Uncle & hopfully a good husband..
I wish...for their own sake...they find happiness that they can hold onto...
Upcoming College Student and Otaku
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Patches418?ref=profile
This is very sad to me indeed. I watched the whole video and I was shocked. I hope she finds happiness somehow but I think it was pretty degrading for the girls to have to go to a doctor to ensure that they were virgins and didn't have any STDS when the person they could be "marrying" could have all sorts of problems. However, I hope that because these girls are marrying someone who is foreign and living in a foreign country, I hope they get better rights because of Vietnam being a communist country.
Polytechnic Junior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer In-training.
http://thehangerbay.wordpress.com/
There're not THAT many cases of a successful marriage between a foreign bride and a local dude, and if/when a divorce occures, the losing end is the bride's. Not to mention the "I bought her" mentality. Completely unfair, if you ask me.
Not something a first-world country should do. Well, status outta the window~
Programmer, Student
http://digitallyobsessed.wordpress.com
I've heard about this practice being done in countries all over the world (including north america). I think the authorities just look the other way as long as the woman is treated well. And I have heard of cases where the relationship actually worked out, though these are probably the exception rather than the rule.
code weaver
http://thejimdandy.com
I've been told how the situation is over there. In the rural areas its bad and most of these girls are just looking for a way out.
I don't agree with this practice but to them it does seem the lesser or two evils. I hope they find love.
Student/Part-timer
http://random-euphoria.blogspot.com/
Ill admit the practice is quite bizzare, but the relationship side shouldnt come off as such a shock...
If you think about it, we're only a century removed from having girls as young as 13 wed.
And a century back, many people had arranged marriages, including the western countries.
I guess what these have in common are the fact that people have nuptials for the sake of getting together.
JR. College Student
http://npc.talkingincircles.net/
Nothing new, it's been going on for years...
I know because my dad has always teased me about my looks and tells me I'll only be able to get a mail order bride.
So yea, I'm never ever ever getting a mail order bride. lol
thousand master II, Internet Learner, Auto didacta
http://pipopaz.wordpress.com/
really sad and tragic how the world is right now xD but have hopes that thing will change in the future
IT, Programmer, Otaku, ...
http://blog.jpopdb.org/
I don't really approve of it, but I can understand why they do it, but her comments about interaction with her new husband are a bit of a concern. What is she expected to do? And still more importantly, she does not even speak the language and probably her "husband" doesn't do either. And all that stuff of being virgin and the proof from a doctor is a bit over the top...
I do hope she will be treated well though...
with money you can buy a bridge but you can buy her love !!!
I heard long time ago they did something like this if you wanted to marry someone you paid her parents .... >_<
Student
http://shockerz.wordpress.com/
Is this even legal? Poverty is really bad enough from today economy. Sold as a bride in a far away country from her family is sad but she seem to like it. Hope she get what she deserve as a house wife.
Student
http://konadora.wordpress.com
Singapore has quite a few foreign brides, but the number is very little compared to my homeland back in Korea. There's like weekly documentaries on different foreign brides, a lot reside in the countryside ^^;
Mechanical Engineering student
http://sabekujikaneda.multiply.com/
Can the world get any worst?
Oh, it always gets worst everyday! Silly me x_x
Dance Trooper: DCX-001 O.D.E. (Order of the Dancing Empire)
http://dannychoo.com.my
I didnt know the term is called Mail Order Bride......
Jr. Software Developer
http://mrklo-olstphn.livejournal.com/
People from Western countries (especially those from European states) are also saying that like Vietnam the Philippines is a big source of human trafficking. The weird part of that news is that we, Filipinos, do not see this happening or hear this kinds of things in our news. It is really confusing. I do not who to believe.
Student :D
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=597827929&v=feed&story_fbid=84769937886#/
i hope shes ok, they guy who marries her should treat her like a queen!
Permanent Japanophile
Matchmaked couples are like that too sometimes right?
The only thing is they don't come from a different country, well sometimes they do.
The girl end normally have to pay a big amount for dowry (doesnt matter which culture), sounds like begging the guy to want to marry her. Isn't that worse than having the guy pay for you?
Just my 2 cents.
Grocery Store Clerk
With my luck even a mail order bride would leave me.