Filipino surrogates convicted by Cambodian court

Thirteen Filipino surrogates have been convicted of human trafficking in Cambodia.

The women were convicted of human trafficking for intending to sell the babies they are carrying. Surrogacy is illegal in Cambodia, and the women were sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended.

The Kandal Provincial Court said there was strong evidence that the pregnant women intended 'to sell to a third person in exchange for money, which is an act of human trafficking,' the BBC reported.

The women are currently at a police-controlled medical facility, and their sentences are not expected to begin until after their pregnancies end.

The women were discovered in Cambodia in September 2024, following a police raid (see BioNews 1260). The 13 Filipino women sentenced in this case were pregnant at the time. A further 11 Filipino and Vietnamese women were discovered and deported as they were not yet pregnant.

The Philippine Embassy in Cambodia stated that it would provide legal assistance and work to ensure the women are held under good conditions. At the time of the discovery, Nicholas Felix Ty, Philippines Department of Justice undersecretary, said that the women themselves were 'victims of human trafficking.' Chou Bun Eng, Cambodian interior minister, holds the women responsible instead.

Surrogacy was banned in Cambodia in 2016, but agencies continue to operate and the practice remains popular due to lower costs. Couples from China will pay agencies £31,600 to £79,000 for an arrangement with a surrogate in Cambodia, the BBC and AsiaNews reported. In 2018, 32 surrogates carrying children for Chinese clients were charged with human trafficking in Cambodia, but were released after agreeing to keep the children, the BBC reported.

The court did not confirm what will happen to the babies in this case when they are born. Philippine government officials argue that they should be brought to the Philippines.

'Our law is clear: whoever gives birth to the baby, that woman is the mother, and the baby takes her citizenship. And the reason for this, according to our laws, is clear. Whoever gives birth to the child has a legal filiation with the child,' Ty said, according to the Daily Tribune. 'Therefore, for us, they are Filipino and we want them brought back here to the Philippines.'