A local court sentenced the women to four years in prison, which was later reduced to two. The Cambodian government considers them responsible for human trafficking, while for the Philippine embassy they themselves are victims. The fate of the children when they are born is unclear. In the past, Cambodia had forced dozens of surrogate mothers to raise children, initially intended for other couples.
Phnom Penh (/Agencies) – Thirteen Filipino women were arrested in Cambodia and convicted of human trafficking. Local authorities said they had strong evidence that the women intended to sell the children to third parties.
The Philippine embassy in Cambodia announced that it will continue to guarantee legal assistance to the women, sentenced to four years in prison, later reduced to two by the Kandal provincial court. The women, currently held in a medical center with police control, will not have to serve their sentences until their pregnancy ends. While the fate of unborn children remains uncertain. The case is special because surrogate mothers usually remain in their country of origin.
After the arrest, Philippine Department of Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty declared that the women themselves were “victims of human trafficking.” Cambodian Interior Minister Chou Bun Eng, however, stated that he blamed women for human trafficking. Four Vietnamese women and seven other Filipino women were also detained, but since they were not pregnant they were expelled. They had all been arrested during a police raid on September 23 at a property near the capital, Phnom Penh. Shortly afterwards, the police spokesman explained that the women’s insemination had been carried out in Thailand.
Although having children for others is illegal in Cambodia and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, the practice remains popular in the region due to its lower costs compared to other regions of the world.
According to the news agency AFPsome Chinese couples pay between $40,000 and $100,000 for the pregnancy of a Cambodian woman. In 2017, an Australian nurse who ran a surrogacy clinic was sentenced to 18 months in prison in Cambodia. The following year, 32 mothers accused of human trafficking were released on the condition that they raise the children themselves.
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