Abstract

International marriage brokering firms claim their services facilitate long term relationships between men and women living in different areas worldwide. However, many legal experts, human rights advocates, and scholars speak to the exploitative nature of such relationships, often connecting them to human trafficking. Feminist and cultural scholars echo these concerns, but challenge whether human trafficking accurately describes such relationships. This contribution highlights multidisciplinary research and scholarship regarding “mail order brides.” Further, discussion extends to consider ethno-immigrant communities, clinical work with women impacted by these practices, and compare the “mail order brides” phenomenon with that of human trafficking.