KAWOMENAN WINTER 1997

REGULATING THE MAIL-ORDER BRIDE INDUSTRY

From July 15 through September 15, 1997, the Immigration and Naturalization Service held a comment period on Section 652 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This section began as the Kohl Amendment, filed by Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) and to which GABRIELA Network provided critical information.

National Chair Clytie Causing pointed out that Board member Ninotchka Rosca was specifically assigned to ensure correct orientation to this amendment. "The kneejerk reaction was largely to tighten up immigration restrictions," said Ms. Causing. "But GABNet, through Ms. Rosca, proposed instead a regulation of the mail-order bride agencies, so that individuals, particularly the women, who wish to immigrate are neither penalized nor deprived of the opportunity to do so."

Nevertheless, GABRIELA Network hastens to point out that Section 652 is only a "good first step" towards correcting inequities inherent in the MOB industry. "Mutual respect and affection in marriage depends to a large extent upon economic and racial equality," Ms. Causing said. "So long as one spouse, whether male or female, is obtained commercially or to be blunt, is bought, respect for and self-respect of the spouse suffer." GABNET holds firmly to the opinion that marriage o one of the most intimate of human relationships -- should not be the object of commerce. GABNet also looks at the MOB industry as a modern form of slavery and would prefer that it be totally eliminated. Section 652 of the new immigration law seeks to protect the foreign spouse by requiring international match-making agencies to provide recruits with information on immigration laws and policies, and information as well on the unregulated nature of the MOB industry. It charges the US Attorney General to collect data regarding mail-order bride marriages.

MOB agencies which fail to comply with section 652 of the IIRIRA are subject to penalty of up to $20,000 per violation.

GABRIELA Network has been campaigning for regulation of the industry since 1993. "We are happy that this long-term campaign has borne fruit," said Ms. Causing. "We must have done practically everything we could to bring this to public attention. We talked to 60 Minutes, Eye on America, to newspapers and magazines, over the radio. . ."

Ms. Causing further said, "We hope this will minimize the creation of abusive circumstances for our women. Now we are calling on all Filipinos and Filipino Americans to be vigilant regarding the implementation of these provisions."

 

KAWOMENAN WINTER 1997

Contents:

NO to APEC! The People's Conference Against Imperialist Globalization: Continuing the Resistance