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Wife for Hire: Inside East Europe's 'Sham Marriages'

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Each year dozens of women from poor families in eastern Europe are lured to the West for sham marriages. The women marry to allow their so-called husbands to gain entry and work in the European Union.

Klara Balogova, 18, traveled thousands of miles from her home in Slovakia to England to marry a man she had never met.

Balogova was promised a clean place to stay and lots of money. But she says within days of her arrival, she was kept in an apartment and her identity documents were taken away.

"He didn't let me out at any time," she said during an interview with The Associated Press.

"He told me it was not possible to go out there. He always said that," said Balogova, who was pregnant when she met her husband-to-be.

Her later husband dumped her, leaving her all alone and without any money.

Balogova's arranged marriage represents a new type of trafficking. It comes at a time when Britain continues to tighten its borders, and politicians across western Europe are pushing for tougher immigration laws, giving rise to illicit marriages.

Authorities say the prospective bridegrooms are often Asian or African and are living in the European Union illegally or on short-term visas.

The men promise jobs, money, and a better life abroad, all so they can stay in the country without fear of deportation.

Most brides get paid for trips to countries such as Britain, Ireland, and Germany, not realizing it's all a scam until they arrive. They are often held captive until the signing of their marriage papers.

Many end up trapped without money in a foreign country, or worse, used for sex and drug trafficking.

"The going rate for a female is between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds of which the female will see virtually none of that, so that would be the money that we think has changed hands," Detective James Faulkner, the lead investigator in these type of trafficking cases, said.

Pregnancy is considered a bonus that boosts a groom's chances to stay.

In Britain, one of several countries where the brides show up, the number of women suspected of being trafficked for sham marriages in 2013 doubled from the year before to 45, according to the National Crime Agency.

Last year, Europol identified this type of crime as an "emerging phenomenon."

"We have information that there are in the Rochdale area upwards of 400 sham marriages," Faulkner said.

"I think it's important to say that doesn't mean there are 400 trafficked victims," he added. "But certainly of those 400, some will have been trafficked into the country illegally."

Allan Doherty, from the charity Hope for Justice, wants to help these women. He said poverty and fear drive them to such desperation.

"The victim doesn't want to do this, but feels they've got no way out. So they will go into the sham marriage thinking they've got no choice," he explained.

"If you think that your family back home, that the house is going to be set on fire or people are going to be attacked and injured, it's a massive means of controlling you," Doherty said. "And people tend to go along with what the trafficker wants them to do."

With the help of social workers, Balogova eventually returned to her home in Slovakia. But she said she is willing to take her chances again for a shot a more prosperous life.

"It was one hundred times better for me in England," she said. "It's not good at all for me here. I'd like to go back to that city."

Decisions like Balogova's make the British crackdown on this type of  human trafficking all the more difficult.

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About The Author

Charlene Aaron
Charlene
Aaron

Charlene Aaron serves as a general assignment reporter, news anchor, co-host of The 700 Club, co-host of 700 Club Interactive, and co-host of The Prayerlink on the CBN News Channel. She covers various social issues, such as abortion, gender identity, race relations, and more. Before joining CBN News in 2003, she was a personal letter writer for Dr. Pat Robertson. Charlene attended Old Dominion University and Elizabeth City State University. She is an ordained minister and pastor’s wife. She lives in Smithfield, VA, with her husband.