Why have so many North Korean women been sold in China? And what are the daily struggles these women face?
China’s One Child Policy
China’s One Child Policy was an attempt by the central government to stem the growth of the world’s most populous nation by limiting the number of children couples could have to one as China grew too large for the government to feed and control. The policy was successful in curbing growth, but according to a recent publication from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as a result, there are warning signs of population contraction that could begin as early as 2027. Many estimate contraction has already begun.
Dr. Yi Fuxian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that among the wide range of reasons a country could experience declining birth rates, such as economic prosperity and improved career opportunities for women, the most significant cause in China’s case was the 1979 One Child Policy.
Not Enough Women
The average gender ratio at birth is 105 boys to every 100 girls. China’s ratio has been as high as 130 boys to every 100 girls and consistently skews higher towards the culturally preferred male children. It is estimated that China now has 30 to 40 million more men than women.
To exacerbate matters further, women born following China's One Child Policy are close to or have already passed their peak fertility age. There are simply not enough women in that generation to sustain China’s population level and the new Two Child Policy passed nearly four decades later on January 1, 2016 may have come too late.
Bride Trafficking
Chinese traffickers sell brides from neighboring countries to address their shortage of women. According to Human Rights Watch, “For years, it was easy for China to ignore the issue. The women and girls being trafficked are often ethnic or religious minorities, from impoverished communities, or, in the case of North Korea, on the run from their own abusive regime.”
Women North Korean Defectors
The first video in our new series “Breaking Down North Korea” covered the common role of women as primary breadwinners in North Korea and why most defectors are women. This created the perfect opportunity for China to meet its gender disparity needs by trafficking women from North Korea.
Once sold into China, life is difficult for North Koreans as a people sold into households with no one they can trust at home and fear of capture and repatriation is constant and all around. Even as they live in China, they are anxious and desperately want freedom.
Because of this ever present threat, they constantly look over their shoulder to make sure they are not being watched or followed. In fact, it is not uncommon for the Chinese government to make public announcements that they will pay bounties to anyone that turns in North Korean refugees. This drives these women deep into isolation. The less people who know about their situations, the less likely they are to be reported to the police. But this isolation leads to depression and hopelessness.
We hear this heartbreaking story time and time again. And this is why I’ve said that tragedy and trauma besets these people wherever they go. Every step of the way is fear and sadness.
Finding Community & Hope
In July, we asked about 100 North Korean refugees under our care about changes to the quality of their lives after encountering Crossing Borders. Here’s what they told us:
I have a supportive community: 97.8%
My life has improved after receiving care from Crossing Borders: 98.9%
I have heard the gospel through Crossing Borders: 93.3%
I live in fear of repatriation to North Korea: 92.1%
Physical safety, emotional healing and salvation are our recurring prayers for North Korean refugees and their children in China and we praise God when we hear back results like this.
Breaking Free
Many of these women look to South Korea for their ultimate freedom. An average of 1100 North Koreans enter into South Korea each year and most escape from China through the Modern Day Underground Railroad, which we will cover in our next episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the first two episodes of our Breaking Down North Korea series. Please drop us a note at hello@crossingbordersnk.org and share your feedback with us.
