Filipino Women Convicted in Cambodian Trafficking

Thirteen Filipino women have been convicted in Cambodia on human trafficking charges for acting as surrogates in a scheme to sell babies to foreigners. Each woman received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, pending no further criminal activity. The women who are pregnant are held in a police hospital near Phnom Penh and will not serve time until after they give birth, with the option to appeal the verdict. The surrogacy operation, organized by a business based in Thailand, highlights the appeal of developing countries for surrogacy due to lower costs compared to nations like the U.S. and Australia. Eleven of the women who were not pregnant were deported, while the legal proceedings continue for the remaining individuals. Authorities have yet to identify the ringleaders of the operation.