We are deeply concerned about the ordeal of Bangladeshi women being trafficked to China through sham marriages. The harrowing story of a 19-year-old woman from Bagerhat, who was promised a domestic job in Dhaka but instead allegedly drugged, threatened with compromising videos and married off to a Chinese man, exposes the disturbing methods used by trafficking networks. She was later taken to China, where she was allegedly confined, beaten and sexually abused before managing to escape and return home on August 4.
According to a report by this daily, a distant female relative lured her to Dhaka, while local intermediaries arranged her marriage and travel documents. Messages on her husband’s phones indicated that Tk 2.5 lakh had been paid to a Bangladeshi intermediary to arrange the marriage, while her family was later asked for Tk 3.5 lakh to secure her return. Several such cases have recently been filed with the police across the country, while the CID’s Trafficking in Persons unit is currently handling four China-related cases. According to the Chinese embassy, more than 1,100 family visas were issued for China in 2025, and an estimated 600 recipients may have already travelled there.
Female migrants, too, remain highly vulnerable to exploitation by trafficking networks. This daily recently reported the story of a woman who went to Saudi Arabia through a broker hoping to escape poverty, but returned pregnant after allegedly enduring forced labour, sexual exploitation, confinement and imprisonment. Hundreds of Bangladeshis have also recently been rescued from scam compounds in Cambodia after being lured abroad with promises of well-paid jobs. Many were allegedly taken to guarded compounds after their passports were confiscated, and were forced to work in online scams, sometimes facing torture when they refused. These cases, alongside the growing cases of women being trafficked through sham marriages, expose the vulnerabilities in our overseas migration system that the authorities must urgently address.
We urge the police and immigration authorities to identify and dismantle the local trafficking networks facilitating these marriages by verifying the identities and marital status of Chinese spouses, scrutinising intermediaries, and investigating how passports, visas and marriage documents are obtained. Immigration authorities should also maintain a database of women travelling to China on family visas and contact their families when necessary. At the same time, Bangladesh and China should establish an effective mechanism to share information, investigate suspected trafficking networks, ensure the safe return of victims, and bring the perpetrators to justice without delay. Awareness campaigns must also be conducted in vulnerable communities around the country to inform people of the risks of trafficking and places to seek help.
