Thirteen pregnant Filipino women convicted of illegally working as surrogate mothers in Cambodia after being recruited online may face prison sentences after giving birth, a top Interior Ministry official said.
Interior Ministry Secretary of State Chou Bun Eng, who oversees the country’s fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, claimed police discovered 24 foreign women, 20 Philippine and four Vietnamese, during a raid on a residence in Kandal province, near the capital Phnom Penh, on September 23.
Thirteen Philippine women were discovered to be pregnant and charged in court on October 1 under a provision of the law on the suppression of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, she added.
The law was amended in 2016 to prohibit commercial surrogacy after Cambodia became an attraction for tourists looking for women to give birth to their children.
Surrogacy has become prevalent in developing countries since the expenses are far lower than in countries like the United States and Australia, where surrogate services can cost up to $150,000.
Surrogacy surged in Cambodia after being heavily restricted in neighboring Thailand, India, and Nepal.
In July 2017, a Cambodian court convicted an Australian lady and two Cambodian partners to one and a half years in prison for commercial surrogacy services.
Surrogates are often engaged in their own countries rather than being relocated elsewhere, therefore the latest situation is rare.
Details of the current surrogacy case are unclear, and officials have not stated if the ladies were arrested or if anyone engaged in the operation has been recognized.
Chou Bun Eng stated that the company that hired the surrogates was situated in Thailand and that their food and lodging in Cambodia were provided from there. She stated that the authorities had not yet recognized the firm.
She stated that the seven Philippine women and four Vietnamese women apprehended in the operation who were not pregnant were going to be deported soon.
According to Chou Bun Eng, 13 pregnant ladies have been admitted to a hospital in Phnom Penh. She further stated that after giving birth, women may face accusations that might result in a two to five-year prison sentence.
She stated that Cambodia believed the ladies were not victims but rather perpetrators who colluded with the organizers to act as surrogates and then sell the infants for profit. Her claim could not be confirmed because the women could not be contacted, and it is unknown whether they have lawyers.
On Wednesday, the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia confirmed most of the events surrounding what it described as the “rescue of 20 Filipino women.”
“The Philippine Embassy ensured that all 20 Filipinos were interviewed in the presence of an embassy representative and an interpreter in every step of the investigation process,” according to the statement.