Six Chinese nationals and a Cambodian woman were arrested in the capital on Tuesday after allegedly trying to sell eight local women as brides in China, an anti-trafficking representative said yesterday.

“We arrested [the suspects] in two different places – first in Makara district and then in Daun Penh district. We rescued eight Cambodian women that are 17 years old and over,” said Chhin Da, a deputy director of Phnom Penh’s Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit.

The eight women have returned to their homes after being instructed on how to better protect themselves, he added.

All seven of the accused are facing charges related to human trafficking and are scheduled to appear before Phnom Penh Municipal Court today.

The arrests follow reports of Chinese men abusing Cambodian women sent to China for employment or marriage.

Earlier this month, four parents complained to police in Kampong Cham that their daughters were being sexually abused by their Chinese husbands. Less than a week later, two Chinese men and three Cambodian women were charged over allegations they were planning to send seven young women from provincial areas to China for marriage.