NCJ Number
218425
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 13 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 469-485
Date Published
May 2007
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the contemporary international marriage broker (IMB) industry, examines the economic and personal security reasons underlying women’s choices to use IMB agencies to meet and marry United States citizens, discusses how the IMB industry increases vulnerability to domestic violence among the women recruited, and describes Congress’ International Marriage Broker Reauthorization Act (IMBRA) under the 2005 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Abstract
Foreign-born women using international marriage broker (IMB) agencies to meet and ultimately marry United States born citizens may be at increased vulnerability to domestic violence because of their lower economic and immigrant status, as compared to their male partners, their cultural and possibly linguistic isolation, and their United States fiancés’ or husbands’ expectations of a submissive immigrant wife. Recognizing that the IMB industry is profiting from these matches that maintain immigrants in a vulnerable position with their partners, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2005 and the International Marriage Broker Reauthorization Act (IMBRA) strive to deter abusive men from using the K visa (or temporary fiancé visa) process toward abusive ends and make progress toward eliminating the imbalance of power between a citizen petitioner and his international bride. The intent of these provisions is to reduce the number of marriages arranged by IMBs which result in domestic violence. Most importantly, the IMB-related provisions of VAWA 2005 arm foreign national women with critical information about their potential spouse along with their legal rights in the United States. Notes, references