A Look at the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act

(Online Dating Industry Journal) Online Dating Magazine's most recent "Inside the Industry" Column lists some of the details and potential impact of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act that goes into effect this month.  The new law is intended to "regulate international marriage broker activity in the United States, to provide for certain protections for individuals who utilize the services of international marriage brokers, and for other purposes" as quoted from the bill itself.  From the column:

"As the Act points out, American men that use international marriage brokers are generally looking for a woman they can control. It is a widespread problem. In addition, overseas women generally aren't educated in U.S. domestic violence issues. There are growing numbers of overseas women being abused (and some even killed) as a result of hooking up with American men they know little about. Nearly 50% of immigrants reported physical abuse by an intimate partner during their lifetimes. And that number could be higher when you consider complaints never filed. As you can see, this is definitely a widespread problem in need of a solution. The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act provides that solution.

So what happens to companies that don't comply with this new law? They can be fined up to $20,000 for each violation! There can also be jail time involved."

Kim's Comments:
I tend to agree with the sentiment of the column.  If it is true that over 50% of immigrants are facing abuse by their partner, these Russian Bride sites are sure to be a contributing factor.  It is definitely a tricky issue and, unfortunately, can give a bad name to couples that genuinely meet and fall in love through a international marriage agency.  Russian bride scams are a whole other issue as well, so obviously this market needs to continue to be closely examined.  We have yet to see what sort of impact this will have on the international marriage broker industry, but this seems to be legitimate problem that would benefit from extra security precautions.