Facts About Marriage Brokers

[Chuckles 0]

They can advertise falsely all they want. If you go to the Phillapines you will find the girls are just girls there. And I can say from personal experience that Russian women are not as advertised there. Any man who thinks otherwise will simply NOT have a lady fall in love with him and will NOT have a fiancee to abuse... Because independant women anywhere do not fall in love with heartless, caulous jerks.

I find most of this offensive really. It is degrading to women of other cultures.

[Pete 0]

I think what "mail order bride" sites mean are those sites that market the foreign woman as a commodity that is being "sold" to the USC male. Obviously you will not find sites openly trafficking in humans (at least I hope not). But the websites do advertise their "products" this way.

BINGO! In IMBRA2005's own words- they passed a law which does nothing to protect women, but instead targets crappy marketing. This hits the nail on the head. Create laws which make us feel better, not which have no teeth and are not written to actually provide results. They for all intents and purposes legislated good taste in advertising!

Once again, the laudable intention to do good slams into the concrete wall of unintended consequences.

All of us on here know, for a fact, that the whole purpose of the fiancee visa process is to allow the various governments to ascertain if the relationship is real or sham. Law was already in place, and the mechanisms were working.

Edited June 18, 2006 by Pete

[Imbra2005 0]

I think what "mail order bride" sites mean are those sites that market the foreign woman as a commodity that is being "sold" to the USC male. Obviously you will not find sites openly trafficking in humans (at least I hope not). But the websites do advertise their "products" this way.

BINGO! In IMBRA2005's own words- they passed a law which does nothing to protect women, but instead targets crappy marketing. This hits the nail on the head. Create laws which make us feel better, not which have no teeth and are not written to actually provide results. They for all intents and purposes legislated good taste in advertising!

Once again, the laudable intention to do good slams into the concrete wall of unintended consequences.

All of us on here know, for a fact, that the whole purpose of the fiancee visa process is to allow the various governments to ascertain if the relationship is real or sham. Law was already in place, and the mechanisms were working.

I don't know, the law has some pretty serious teeth -- fines, jail time, sounds pretty serious to me if you violate it.

I understand that the concepts driving the law may be a bit sophisticated and difficult for some to understand. Let me try to put it this way. These relationships have a power imbalance built into them from the beginning and it is precisely that imbalance that these companies try to capitalize on in their marketing. The law isn't targeting the marketing, its targeting the power imbalance.

Unlike an ordinary dating service, the IMB industry charges its American male clients fees of up to several thousand dollars to gain access to foreign women from developing countries. The women are marketed to men as commodities that are submissive, docile, obedient, and sexually attractive (and available at command). The women recruited by these agencies usually have no idea how they are marketed and believe, erroneously, that the agencies screen their male clients for “bad apples.”

Other IMB practices, from “satisfaction guaranteed” assurances to so-called “romance tours” during which a dozen men may be introduced to several hundred women at once competing for the males' attention, firmly establish the “male as client, female as commodity” dynamic. The sense of entitlement that the male client develops in his costly investment is a recipe for domestic violence. These companies have been making themselves an easy conduit for predatory abusers to find their next victims. The consequences can be fatal.

Obviously, the system before IMBRA didn't work for Alla Barney. The system didn't work for Anastasia King. The system didn't work for Susanna Blackwell . . . and countless others.

[iceyspots 0]

did anyone see the lifetime series??

[Chuckles 0]

I think what "mail order bride" sites mean are those sites that market the foreign woman as a commodity that is being "sold" to the USC male. Obviously you will not find sites openly trafficking in humans (at least I hope not). But the websites do advertise their "products" this way.

BINGO! In IMBRA2005's own words- they passed a law which does nothing to protect women, but instead targets crappy marketing. This hits the nail on the head. Create laws which make us feel better, not which have no teeth and are not written to actually provide results. They for all intents and purposes legislated good taste in advertising!

Once again, the laudable intention to do good slams into the concrete wall of unintended consequences.

All of us on here know, for a fact, that the whole purpose of the fiancee visa process is to allow the various governments to ascertain if the relationship is real or sham. Law was already in place, and the mechanisms were working.

I don't know, the law has some pretty serious teeth -- fines, jail time, sounds pretty serious to me if you violate it.

I understand that the concepts driving the law may be a bit sophisticated and difficult for some to understand. Let me try to put it this way. These relationships have a power imbalance built into them from the beginning and it is precisely that imbalance that these companies try to capitalize on in their marketing. The law isn't targeting the marketing, its targeting the power imbalance.

Unlike an ordinary dating service, the IMB industry charges its American male clients fees of up to several thousand dollars to gain access to foreign women from developing countries. The women are marketed to men as commodities that are submissive, docile, obedient, and sexually attractive (and available at command). The women recruited by these agencies usually have no idea how they are marketed and believe, erroneously, that the agencies screen their male clients for “bad apples.”

Other IMB practices, from “satisfaction guaranteed” assurances to so-called “romance tours” during which a dozen men may be introduced to several hundred women at once competing for the males' attention, firmly establish the “male as client, female as commodity” dynamic. The sense of entitlement that the male client develops in his costly investment is a recipe for domestic violence. These companies have been making themselves an easy conduit for predatory abusers to find their next victims. The consequences can be fatal.

Obviously, the system before IMBRA didn't work for Alla Barney. The system didn't work for Anastasia King. The system didn't work for Susanna Blackwell . . . and countless others.

I do not believe IMBRA would have had the intended effect to save those women.

I am sorry I cannot agree with you. I respectfully concede you have some good points, but we differ philosphically. I hope that IMBRA works and no more women suffer. That would be great! Sadly, I cannot see that happening.

The thing is this law does not focus well on the problem. The laws were already in place to save Anastasia King and Susanna Blackwell, but the consulate could not identify them properly. The police check adds a layer to help prevent that at the time of K1 petition, but again, that is the only thing that helps with this law. I hate to say it, but we as humans, no matter how many laws we pass, will make mistakes and people will die. Its a cruel world, but I am so tired of the government trying to save me from myself.

IMBRA is law, women will still be exploited at the same rate, and there will be more Anastasia Kings' and Susanna Blackwells'.

Edited June 18, 2006 by Chuckles