MANILA – The Philippine government has announced that Cambodia has pardoned and repatriated 13 Filipino women who had been imprisoned for engaging in illegal surrogacy.
These women were among 24 foreign nationals detained by Cambodian authorities in September. They were sentenced to four years in prison on December 2 on charges of attempting cross-border human trafficking.
The 13 women, along with three infants, were sent back to Manila on Sunday morning (December 29) and placed in a government shelter for trafficking victims, according to a statement from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
A DSWD official revealed that 10 of the repatriated women are currently pregnant.
“The 13 women who departed Phnom Penh have safely arrived in Manila following a royal pardon granted by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni,” stated the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
A Cambodian court had previously ruled that there was clear evidence showing the women intended to have children to sell to third parties in exchange for money, which constitutes human trafficking under Cambodian law. The court did not specify the fate of the infants involved.
The DFA reiterated in its statement that surrogacy is strictly prohibited in Cambodia and any violations are subject to legal consequences under Cambodian law.
The DSWD also noted that there is no clear legislation in the Philippines banning or allowing surrogacy, leaving it a gray area vulnerable to abuse.
In 2016, Cambodia issued a ban on commercial surrogacy after neighboring Thailand implemented a similar prohibition the year before, abruptly ending the surrogacy business in the region.
However, the demand for commercial surrogacy remains high, especially after China eased its one-child policy. Surrogacy agencies in Cambodia continue to operate despite the ban.
Cambodian sources previously disclosed that couples, primarily from China, are willing to pay between $40,000 and $100,000 to surrogacy agents to find Cambodian women willing to carry their children.
