Pakistani investigators have discovered more than 600 girls and women across the country who were sex trafficked to China in the last two years. However, chances of convicting the traffickers remain uncertain due to pressures to maintain diplomatic ties.
According to a list obtained by the Associated Press, 629 Pakistani girls and women were sold as brides to Chinese men, since 2018. It is believed that they were all sold to the grooms by their families.
Since the case was first put together in June, pressures to maintain relations between Pakistan and China grounded any efforts to catch traffickers to a halt. In October, a Faisalabad judge acquitted 31 Chinese nationals charged in connection with the trafficking. Several of the alleged victims refused to testify due to threats or bribes. The government has also sought to halt the investigation, going so far as to transfer Federal Investigation agency officers pursuing trafficking networks, activist Salman Iqbal told AP.
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