Latvian women lured to Ireland for sham marriages

Every year hundreds of Latvian women, desperate to escape poverty, take part in sham marriages in the Irish Republic with Asian men seeking EU residency rights.

The Latvian government is calling on the Irish authorities to clamp down on the scam.

In Ireland it is not illegal to enter wedlock in return for money, which the Latvian government says is part of the problem.

The Irish police say they investigate fully all marriages which they suspect are conducted in return for EU residency rights.

The BBC's Damien McGuinness has spoken to Latvian journalist Aleksandra Jolkina about the issue, which she has investigated in-depth.