In a troubling development regarding surrogacy practices in Southeast Asia, thirteen pregnant Philippine women were arrested in Cambodia on October 1, 2024. They were charged under laws against human trafficking and sexual exploitation following a police raid on September 23, 2024, which revealed a total of 24 foreign women, including 20 from the Philippines and 4 from Vietnam, at a villa in Kandal province [2eaa83b2].
The Cambodian law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, updated in 2016, explicitly bans commercial surrogacy. As a result, the arrested women could face a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years after giving birth. The Philippine embassy confirmed that the women are not viewed as victims in this case but rather as offenders, complicating their legal situation [2eaa83b2].
Reports indicate that the business responsible for recruiting these women was based in Thailand, highlighting the transnational nature of the surrogacy issue in the region. This incident underscores the ongoing challenges surrounding surrogacy laws and human trafficking in Southeast Asia, raising concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable women seeking better economic opportunities [2eaa83b2].