Cambodian court sentences 13 pregnant Filipino women for surrogacy
A Cambodian court has sentenced 13 pregnant Filipino women to four years in prison for acting as surrogate mothers.
The women were part of 24 foreign nationals arrested in Kandal province in September.
The court said the women intended to sell the babies for money, calling it "an act of human trafficking."
Two years of their sentences have been suspended, but authorities have not shared what will happen to the babies after they are born.
A Cambodian woman who cooked meals for the group was also jailed for two months and one day.
Seven other Filipino women and four Vietnamese women, who were not pregnant, have also been deported.
Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy in 2016 but remains a hub for the illegal practice. Many surrogacy clients come from China, where demand is high due to eased childbearing policies.
In recent years, dozens of Cambodian women have been arrested for surrogacy. Most were released after agreeing to keep the children.
An Australian nurse was jailed in 2018 for running a surrogacy clinic in Cambodia.
