Marriage - buying brides

Getting married is a big event. In all cultures. when two people decide to 'tie the knot' (= get married), it is a time for celebration and for family and friends to join together and show their support for the newlyweds.

But, there can be a dark side (= negative part) to marriages. This is when marriages are arranged as a business deal or when the woman does not fully agree to the marriage. Often, in this type of deal it is the bride who is sold to the man and is 'trafficked' to another country.

These types of marriages can especially affect under-developed countries, such as Myanmar because there are some poor families who can be persuaded to sell their daughters to rich foreigners.

In recent times in Myanmar, there have been some concerns expressed that the number of arranged marriages to foreigners is increasing. Read the article about marriage and human trafficking and then complete the summary below:

Ma Sandar's wedding to a Chinese national was 1___________ by officials due to 2 ________ that the marriage was not genuine. The Chinese government's 3 ___________ of the one child policy in 1980 has resulted in a gender 4 _________ in China, where there are now more males that females. This has led to some Chinese 5 ___________ trying to buy Myanmar brides. This is made possible because 6 _______ documents can be easily obtained and there is a lack of 7 _________ regarding the marriage of foreigners to local Myanmar citizens.

When you're ready, enter your answers in the test below.