Thirteen Philippine women convicted of surrogacy

A Cambodian court sentenced the women to four years in prison, with two years suspended. For the Cambodian government, they were involved in human trafficking, while for the Philippine embassy they are victims. It is unclear what fate awaits the children once they are born. In the past Cambodia forced dozens of surrogate mothers to raise the children, initially intended for other couples.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Thirteen Philippine women have been convicted of human trafficking in Cambodia. Local authorities say they have overwhelming evidence showing that the women planned to sell the babies to third parties.

The Embassy of the Philippine in Cambodia announced that it would continue to provide legal assistance to women, who were sentenced by the Kandal Provincial Court to four years in prison, with two years suspended.

The women are currently at a medical facility under police control, and will not start to serve their sentences until the end of their pregnancy. The fate of the unborn remains uncertain. The case is special because surrogate mothers usually remain in their own country.

After the arrest, Nicholas Felix Ty, undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Justice, said that the women themselves are "victims of human trafficking". Cambodian Interior Minister Chou Bun Eng disagrees, holding the women responsible.

Four Vietnamese women and seven other Philippine women were also taken into custody, but, since they are not pregnant, they were deported. All had all been found during a police raid on 23 September in a villa near the capital Phnom Penh.

Later, a police spokesperson explained that the women were inseminated in Thailand.

Even though surrogacy is illegal in Cambodia and in other Southeast Asian countries, like Thailand, the practice continues to be widespread in the region due to lower costs over other regions of the world.

According to AFP, some Chinese couples pay between US$ 40,000 and US$ 100,000 to arrange for a Cambodian woman to carry their child.

In 2017, an Australian nurse who ran a surrogacy clinic in Cambodia was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The following year, 32 mothers accused of human trafficking were released on the condition they raise the children themselves.

• cambodia
• philippines
• surrogacy
• human trafficking
• convictions