Lao social media users have expressed outrage and concern about human trafficking and scams in response to an online advertisement created by single Chinese businessmen seeking Lao women.
A Facebook user posted an advertisement in recent days on behalf of fifteen Chinese businessmen, stating that the men are single and relocating to Laos for business. According to the post, each man is seeking a Lao woman to marry.
The group of Chinese businessmen say they would provide LAK 25 million per month as a “salary” for each woman should they agree to marriage, however, the women would have to submit introduction videos of themselves smiling and saying, “Sabaidee, I’m in Laos. Welcome to Laos.”
The Facebook user’s account disappeared after the Facebook post went viral, leading many to assume it was a false identity.
“Women should be very careful about such proposals. This type of thing is often a ruse by human trafficking networks,” one social media user commented.
Another commenter, a Lao woman, responded to the monetary offer by asking “why do these women need such a salary?”
According to Lao Law, trafficking in persons is defined as the recruitment, abduction, movement, transportation or transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of persuasion, recommendation, deception, payment or giving benefit, inducement, incitement or abuse of power, the use of threat or other forms of coercion, debt bondage, concealed child adoption, concealed engagement, or concealed marriage.
The trafficking of Lao women to China reportedly worsened during the pandemic.
