Human trafficking is one of the worst forms of human rights abuses, whereby people are exposed to and maintained in conditions of severe exploitation by means of deception, coercion or force. It is one of the world’s largest criminal industries, affecting tens of millions of people in every corner of the globe and generating estimated annual profits in excess of US$150 billion.

The phenomenon of forced marriage as a form of human trafficking has received increasing recognition and attention in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region, initially from Myanmar and Viet Nam into China and within China itself, but lately also from countries further afield especially Cambodia.

This report examines patterns of forced marriage in the context of broader migratory flows between Cambodia and China. The objective is to analyze recruitment, brokering, transportation and exploitation patterns as well as the links between these; to determine service needs amongst Cambodians trafficked to China for forced marriage, in China, during the repatriation process and upon return to Cambodia; as well as to identify opportunities for interventions to prevent forced marriages from occurring and to extend protective services to those in need, at both policy and programming levels.

The report is divided into the five key stages of the respondents’ marriage migration experience, namely:

1. Recruitment

2. Migration

3. Marriage

4. Escape and return

5. Conditions after return to Cambodia