Karaoke Forums

http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/cam ... ground.htm

Trafficking from North Korea: Background
 
The United Nations estimates more than two million people died during the 1995-1998 famine in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) or North Korea. The famine triggered an exodus of North Koreans into neighbouring China in search of food and work and the continuing food crisis means this flow of migrants has continued.

While some of those fleeing into China are refugees seeking to escape persecution from the Kim Jong-il Government, the majority of North Koreans crossing the border are women trying to survive and to earn money to send back to their families in North Korea.

Trafficking in women

In this context, traffickers seek out North Korean women to exploit at border areas, train stations and markets. Traffickers promise food, employment and shelter, but the women involved can find themselves forced to marry Chinese men or work in brothels and karaoke bars. While some North Koreans willingly agree to marriages in China, others are sold as brides for anywhere from 400-10,000 yuan (US$50-1,250). It is difficult for women in a forced marriage to escape, as they are isolated from any support. Marriages involving undocumented North Korean women are not legally binding and if discovered by the Chinese authorities, these women face deportation.