In any developing nation, the illegal trade of trafficking women is always prevalent. China is no exception. The problem of violence against women is deeply intertwined with traditional prejudices that view women as born to be inferior and subservient. Women are seen as the property of first, their fathers and after marriage, their husbands. They are expected to be obedient and sacrifice their needs to serve men. "San Chong Si De" (literally "three followings and four virtues" is seen as the maxim that should guide a good woman's life.
Definition of Trafficking
The World Conference on Human Rights and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW) has recognised trafficking and domestic violence as violations of women's human rights. Defining "violence" as including physical, sexual and psychological abuse inside and outside the home, as well as "trafficking and forced prostitution,"
Incidents of trafficking
When China officially became the People's Republic of China in 1949, the
trafficking of women and children which had been the norm in traditional
China, was declared illegal. Under Communist idealogy, where women were
accorded somewhat higher status as female labour was much in demand for the
industrialisation of the country, incidents of trafficking subsided.
However, the traditional view of women as men's chattels to be disposed was
not rectified. So, after the Cultural Revolution, there was a resurgence in
trafficking of women and children again.
Trafficking involves mainly rural women sold to rural men in poorer areas
while others are forcibly brought to the city to work as prostitutes. Here
are some statistics on the trafficking of women.
Reasons for Trafficking
Due to the traditional bias against females plus the fact that China is now
facing the effects of the "One Child Policy" kicked off in the 1970s (which
resulted in increasing cases of female infanticide), there is a shortage of
women across the nation. According to the 1987 population census, there were
32.43 million more men and women. This gender gap has widened even more in
the 1990s. With the mass migration of women to the cities to find
industrialised work in the factories, the shortage of suitable women as
wives has become a relatively big problem in the countryside.
Secondly, it is a traditional must in China to present betrothal gifts to
the brides family. The costs are pretty steep and for a rural family,
usually vary from 6000 to 10000 yuan. However, purchasing a wife from a
trafficking ring would cost only about 2000 to 4000 yuan.
Thirdly, the spread of prostitution has made women a valuable commodity.
Pimps often make their fortune by luring innocent rural girls to the city
with promises of high-paying factory jobs.