Dissecting Cross-Border Bride Trafficking to China: A Crime Script Analysis Approach

Abstract Bride trafficking is a complex and underexplored form of human trafficking. This article outlines the crime script of cross-border bride trafficking to China using content analysis of 607 Chinese court judgments. We identify six steps in the trafficking process, detailing the principal destinations of trafficked victims and mapping the geographic distribution of transit points. Special attention is given to both the vulnerabilities and the shifting agency of North Korean women, some of whom later become traffickers. We also highlight the strategic use of interpersonal relationships in sustaining and expanding trafficking operations. Finally, we propose targeted intervention strategies informed by situational crime prevention and crime script analysis, arguing for evidence-based, contextually grounded policy responses.