North Korea has begun sending married women over the age of 40 to work in factories in China, a move that has left many children abandoned or in care back home, according to Daily NK.
Traditionally, the isolated nation sent young, unmarried women to fill positions in Chinese factories. However, recent years have seen a shift, with older married women now being dispatched instead.
Workers in their 40s sent to Jilin province
A source told Daily NK: "Many of the North Korean women sent this year to garment and seafood processing plants in Jilin province are around 45. There used to be a lot of young, unmarried women, but the number in their 40s really stands out now."
The emotional toll of these separations has reached new levels. Last month, one woman attempted to escape her job in Changbai because she wanted to see her family. Although she reached the border, she was sent back to her role without seeing her family.
Families kept 'hostage' to prevent escapes
The source explained: "Quite a few workers want to go home like her because they cannot stop thinking about their children. She clearly missed her family, but people here think she was trying to escape rather than go home."
"They sent her back right after the holiday, so they seem to have treated leaving the workplace itself as the problem. Her personal circumstances, including how badly she missed her family, probably never got a fair hearing."
The source added: "North Korea may hold families hostage to stop workers from fleeing, but nothing guarantees this won’t happen again. Someone needs to understand the hardships of these long separations and come up with proper measures."
The hostage-like situation may explain why North Korea has decided to send older married women, as they are less likely to attempt to flee given the potential grave consequences their family members could suffer if they were caught trying to escape their enforced jobs.
