The Philippine embassy in Cambodia has confirmed 20 Filipino women brought to the country for surrogacy purposes have been rescued.
Cambodian National Police discovered the women in the Kandal province on 23 September 2024, the embassy has stated. The embassy has interviewed the women and believes they were recruited online as surrogates, expecting to travel to another country in Southeast Asia but ending up in Cambodia, where surrogacy is illegal. In the Philippines, there is currently a lack of regulation surrounding surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology.
Colonel Ros Sarin, chief of the Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit in Kandal told the Khmer Times that police raided a villa in the province's Mok Kampoul district on suspicion that the women living there may be victims of trafficking. 'During the raid, police arrested 20 Filipino women and four Vietnamese women who were brought from their countries to be artificially impregnated to provide babies for an infant-trafficking syndicate,' he said.
Following their arrest, experts examined the women's health and 13 of the 20 Filipino women were found to be pregnant. The pregnant women are being cared for in hospitals, while the other seven Filipino women are awaiting repatriation. According to the Khmer Times, Philippines Ambassador to Cambodia Flerida Ann Camille P Mayo said in a statement 'factual determination of the nationality or the location of the agency that brought the Filipino women to Cambodia has yet to be made, as this case is still at its nascent investigation by Cambodian law enforcement authorities.'
Cambodian authorities have confirmed that the discovery was made in line with the country's Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Chou Bun Eng, secretary of state of the Ministry of Interior and permanent vice-chairwoman of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking chaired a working meeting on Surrogacy on 9 October. The meeting was convened to discuss 'Procedures for Addressing Surrogacy and Baby Trafficking Conducted by Foreigners in the Kingdom of Cambodia.'
Following the case, a Senate resolution was filed in Manila to investigate the recruitment of Filipino surrogates as part of an infant-trafficking scheme in Cambodia. According to the Philippine News Agency, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, said 'An investigation is crucial to identify the gaps in current legislation including but not limited to reproductive labour and Republic Act (RA) No. 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, to prevent the proliferation of this new form of human trafficking scheme in the country.'
This discovery comes about a year after a similar situation was uncovered by Greek police at a clinic in Crete, resulting in eight arrests of clinic staff (see BioNews 1204 and 1208). Charges included forcing 169 women, mostly from low-income European countries, to be egg donors and surrogates, and charging intended parents for commercial surrogacy arrangements, which is illegal in Greece (see BioNews 1242).
The Philippine embassy stated that it will continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and international partners to resolutely and proactively address human trafficking in all forms.
Sources and References
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20 Filipino women rescued from surrogacy scheme in Cambodia | ANC
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Senate to probe Cambodia surrogacy ring recruitment of Filipinos
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20 Filipino women rescued from surrogacy scheme in Cambodia: embassy
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Cambodian, Philippine authorities investigate Kandal province case
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Statement of the Philippine Embassy on the Khmer Times article titled 'Philippines agency brings bring Filipinas to Cambodia to be surrogate mums'
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