柬埔寨政府近日宣布，禁止50歲以上的外籍男子與本國女子結婚，以防止假結婚和販賣人口等問題。另外，50歲以下的外籍男子若想迎娶柬埔寨女子，還需提供收入證明，月收入不得低于1539英鎊。之前曾有不少韓國男子通過代理機構尋得柬埔寨“郵購新娘”：代理機構為其選好對象，韓國男子到柬埔寨與對象見面并于幾天后完婚。柬埔寨政府推出此項禁令是擔心不少柬埔寨女子嫁出去之后會被外國丈夫賣到妓院或者“當奴隸使喚”。不過，也有人表示此項禁令有歧視女性之嫌，稱政府只禁止女性與50歲以上外籍男子結婚，對男性卻沒有任何限制。

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

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

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.

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）