These women were discovered through online recruitment and were found by police during a raid at a villa in Kandal Province.
Earlier in October, the women were found to be pregnant and charged under Cambodia’s Anti-Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Law.
The expectant mothers are currently receiving care at a hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh. After childbirth, the 13 women could face prison terms ranging from 2 to 5 years.
Details surrounding the operation and those involved remain unclear. Authorities have not yet identified who is responsible for recruiting the surrogate mothers.
The Philippine Embassy in Cambodia stated that the women had been questioned in the presence of embassy representatives during the investigation process.
According to Cambodian authorities, the women are not considered victims but rather criminals colluding with organizers of the surrogacy ring to sell babies for profit.
Surrogacy operations have surged in Cambodia after being tightly restricted in countries like Thailand and India. The Cambodian government is now increasing legal measures to curb such criminal activities.
As a result, prospective parents have turned to Cambodia due to lower costs compared to countries like the United States and Australia, where surrogacy services can reach up to $150,000.
However, Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy in 2016, forcing illegal operations underground.
In recent years, Cambodia has been grappling with rising human trafficking cases, including online scams involving foreigners tricked into forced labor.
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Source: Vietnam Insider