North Korean Migrants in China: Whether Illegal Migrants, Refugees, or Human Trafficking Victims

North Korean migrants in China face risks, including deception, forced labor, and exploitation, due to fear of deportation, language barriers, geographic unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge. Policy implications are presented to prevent future human trafficking.

Format: Hardback
Length: 196 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2024
Publisher: Lexington Books

North Koreans who escape from their country face numerous challenges, including the risk of being caught and sent back, language barriers, and unfamiliarity with their surroundings. Many of them are deceived, forced, and coerced into human trafficking, with some being sold as brides, forced to work in brothels and video chat rooms, and subjected to labor exploitation. Fear of deportation, language barriers, geographic unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge make these individuals vulnerable to human trafficking.

Hyoungah Park, a researcher, conducted interviews with fifty-eight North Korean migrants in China and analyzed their stories. She found that many of these migrants were deceived, forced, and coerced by traffickers, who sold them as brides to unknown males in China, forced them to work in brothels and video chat rooms, and subjected them to labor exploitation. Fear of being deported, language barriers, geographic unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge made these individuals vulnerable to human trafficking.

Park's research provides policy implications to prevent future human trafficking. She suggests that governments should increase awareness of the risks of human trafficking among North Korean migrants, provide legal assistance to those who have been victimized, and work with international organizations to develop and implement anti-trafficking policies. She also suggests that North Korean migrants should be provided with access to education, healthcare, and legal services to help them integrate into their new communities.

In conclusion, North Koreans who escape from their country face numerous challenges, including the risk of being caught and sent back, language barriers, and unfamiliarity with their surroundings. Many of them are deceived, forced, and coerced into human trafficking, with some being sold as brides, forced to work in brothels and video chat rooms, and subjected to labor exploitation. Fear of deportation, language barriers, geographic unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge make these individuals vulnerable to human trafficking. Hyoungah Park's research provides policy implications to prevent future human trafficking, and it is important for governments, international organizations, and North Korean migrants to work together to address these issues.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 159 x 236 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793627544