IN LAST Tuesday's article ('Matchmaking's fine, but not
bride-buying'), the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and
Sports (MCYS) stated that 'matchmaking services are legitimate and
the industry is not regulated, as is the practice in many
countries'.
I was surprised by the reasoning that we do not do it because
other countries don't. We are always told that such an attitude
equals complacency.
Statistics may not show the correlation between marriages with
foreign brides and domestic abuse/divorces because many foreign
brides and their children could be suffering in silence.
The practice of giving the foreign spouse a visitor pass is a
loophole for unscrupulous people to bring in unwitting young women
to work as maids, surrogate mothers and sex slaves - no bank
guarantee, government levy or minimum pay required, only a one-time
fee.
The ministry can do more.
While not copying Taiwan's model, MCYS can still enforce rules,
such as setting a minimum regular income requirement for male
citizens, and service fees for the vital checks required to ensure
compliance and genuine intent.
Lim Lay Choo (Ms)