The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Thirteen Filipino women have been sentenced in Cambodia for violating the country’s surrogacy ban, the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh reported.
Initially handed a four-year prison term, their sentence was reduced to two years following mitigating arguments presented by embassy-appointed legal counsel.
The women have been detained since September 23 at a medical facility and were tried by a Cambodian court from November 28 to 29.
On December 2, the Kandal Provincial Court found them guilty under Cambodia’s 2008 Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Violations of the surrogacy ban are considered felonies, with penalties ranging from 15 to 20 years.
The Philippine Embassy assured that the government continues to provide legal and consular assistance, as well as medical care and welfare support, to the detained individuals.
It also emphasized the
ongoing cooperation with Cambodian authorities and international partners in combating human trafficking and related transnational crimes.
The embassy reiterated Cambodia’s strict prohibition of commercial surrogacy, warning Filipino citizens that engaging in such arrangements could lead to imprisonment.
In October, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported the rescue of 20 Filipino women recruited for surrogacy in Cambodia. Seven of them were repatriated, while the remaining 13—pregnant at various stages—stayed in a local hospital.
Initial investigations revealed that the women were recruited online by an unidentified individual using an assumed name. The recruiter arranged for their travel to another Southeast Asian country before redirecting them to Cambodia, where surrogacy is illegal.