Tongan woman alleges being 'auctioned off' for marriage in China

A 23-year-old Tongan woman, identified as Lisa, traveled to China with dreams of a better life, only to find herself allegedly caught in a marriage syndicate where she felt like she was "auctioned off." Lisa, from a rural village in Tonga, accepted an offer from a Tongan woman living in China who promised an opportunity for a better life through marriage to one of two Chinese men.

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She told me there was an opportunity in China if I was willing to get married. She sent me photos of two Chinese men. One worked in a restaurant, the other owned a car business. She told me [if] I married one of them, I wouldn't have to pay for anything, and I'd be able to send money home every month.

"She told me there was an opportunity in China if I was willing to get married," Lisa told the ABC. "She sent me photos of two Chinese men. One worked in a restaurant, the other owned a car business. She told me [if] I married one of them, I wouldn't have to pay for anything, and I'd be able to send money home every month." Believing it was a chance to support her family and improve her own life, Lisa agreed and traveled to China in October last year.

However, upon arrival in Fujian province, the reality differed starkly from the promises. Lisa was introduced to organizers and then presented to several men, none of whom matched the photos she had been shown. She was instructed to "marry" and "show affection" to one of them. Tapenisa Mahe, a Tongan woman studying in China who assisted Lisa, described the situation as akin to an "auction." "Different families came to look at her and decide whether they wanted her," Mahe recounted, expressing her growing unease and concern about the transactional nature of the encounters.

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I felt as though I [was] something that had been bought and sold.

Mahe, who helped translate, initially agreed to assist Lisa out of a desire to help a fellow Tongan. However, she quickly became "seriously concerned" when the man's family began discussing the money paid to matchmakers. This revelation exposed the larger operation at play, which Tongan police are now investigating. The syndicate, reportedly organized by Tongan national Maata Aso and a Chinese national known as "Auntie Julie," has allegedly enticed multiple Tongan women to China under similar false pretenses.

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It was like they were "auctioning her off". Different families came to look at her and decide whether they wanted her.

While Maata Aso has rejected claims of mistreatment, Lisa's experience paints a disturbing picture of deception and exploitation. The women were reportedly lured with promises of financial support and a better future, only to be subjected to a process that felt like a commercial transaction, raising serious questions about human trafficking and exploitation.

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The man's family started talking about money that had been paid to the matchmakers. That's when I realised something much bigger was happening.