Arranged marriage restrictions proposed

If the law is passed, agencies that match local clients with foreign spouses will only be allowed to provide such services as non-profit organizations and will be banned from posting ads, registering under a matchmaking business license, and charging fees. The number of arranged marriages between locals and foreigners has risen in recent years. The problem, announced Premier Chang Chun-hsiung, was that “many unscrupulous” matchmakers provided their services with the sole purpose of earning money, reducing marriages to “emotionless business transactions.”

According to Chang, foreign-spouse matchmaking has also given rise to human trafficking, the reification of women, and other societal problems that have tarnished Taiwan’s global image. “As such,” Chang said, “these problems are worth noting and must be solved.”

Last year, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) set up an inter-ministerial panel to devise ways to monitor matchmaking activities on the island. If the proposed law were passed, the MOI will tighten monitoring measures to ensure foreign matchmaking activities are not for profit.

The Executive Yuan, the executive branch of the Taiwan government, has sent a draft of revised immigration laws, which includes the proposed matchmaking restrictions, to the Legislative Yuan for review. Chang said he hoped the law can be passed as soon as possible.

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