Cambodia bans foreign men over 50 marrying local women

An old "goat" (oops, sorry, prince) with his young wife (mistress???)

Parts of the government are alarmed to see young Cambodian women consorting with aged foreign men Photo: ALAMY

Cambodia has banned foreign men over the age of 50 marrying local women in an effort to combat sham marriages and human trafficking.

22 Mar 2011

By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok

The Telegraph (UK)

Even those overseas men lucky enough to be under the threshold will have to show they earn more than £1,539 a month – many times the average Cambodian wage – before they can tie the knot with a Khmer woman.

The new crackdown, which came into force at the beginning of the month, seeks to prevent trafficking of women and sham marriages.

South Korean men in particular seek Cambodian "mail-order brides" set up by agencies. The men travel to Cambodia, meet their prospective partners and marry a few days later.

The fear in government circles is that the women may be sent into prostitution in their husband's home country or "used as slaves". Koy Kuong, a spokesman for Cambodia's foreign ministry, said human rights groups had detailed many such cases.

But another spokesman suggested the government was just as alarmed by how things looked, saying it was not "fitting" to see young Cambodian women consorting with aged foreign men.

The ruling has provoked a mixed reaction as it does not affect Cambodian men or foreign women. Some even say it is discriminatory against Cambodian women, despite the effort to protect them from exploitation.

"This is discrimination against women because they will not be allowed to marry men who are over 50 ... while Cambodian men can marry any foreign woman they choose," said Kek Galabru, head of the Licadho human rights group.