The Cambodian Consulate in Shanghai cooperated with Chinese authorities to rescue five women who had been brought to China by brokers to be married to local men, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

The ministry did not identify the women, but said they hailed from Kampong Cham, Tbong Khmum and Kandal provinces, and were currently being given accommodation by the consulate while they await travel documents to return to Cambodia.

“They will arrive in Cambodia on April 3rd, 2018,” the statement reads.

The practice of brokers enticing women to China as brides is not uncommon in the Kingdom. While some are promised work overseas only to be sold into marriage, others are convinced to go willingly and later find themselves subject to abuse and mistreatment.

In January, a Vietnamese man and a Cambodian woman were sentenced to eight years in prison for trafficking nearly 30 brides to China through Vietnam.

In its statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry also noted that 10 Cambodian workers in Malaysia were deported on March 25 for working illegally in the country.