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Cambodian government arrests 5 women linked to illegal surrogacy ring
A Chinese woman is charged with cross-border human trafficking, and four other women have been detained following an October 24th raid in Phnom Penh’s Thmey commune in Cambodia.
Four Vietnamese women and one Chinese woman were arrested in an illegal surrogacy scheme.
The Chinese woman reportedly managed the four Vietnamese women, though it's not clear what role the latter played in the surrogacy ring.
The four Vietnamese women face deportation, while the Chinese woman has been charged with human trafficking.
The enforcement effort was led by Phnom Penh police, and took place at the Borey Sen Sok condominium. According to the Phnom Penh Post, the senior team on hand is responsible for combating human trafficking, protecting minors and addressing gender-related issues, as well as security affairs, in coordination with the Sen Sok district administration.
Evidence seized at the scene points to the Chinese woman as having plans to use the Vietnamese women as part of a surrogacy scheme, the details of which remain unclear.
Brigadier General Chheang Sareth, head of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit, said, “The four Vietnamese women were sent to the General Department of Immigration to prepare documents for their deportation.”
As for the Chinese woman, the investigating judge has sent her to prison while she awaits trial.
According to the KHMER Times, the “suspect faces charges of cross-border human trafficking under Article 16 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, and acting as an intermediary between adoptive parents and pregnant women under Article 332 of the Criminal Code. She faces 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted.”
In a related case, in December of 2024, 13 women from the Philippines were convicted of charges relating to human trafficking as part of a separate illegal surrogacy ring. These women were part of an organized crime operation selling babies to foreigners for cash.
In an interesting change of events, Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, pardoned the 13 women in February 2025. They were then flown back to the Philippines.
“We will never forget this act of magnanimity from His Majesty, a testament to the strong relations between our two countries,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said before a closed-door meeting with the Cambodian premier and his delegation in Manila. “We will continue to stand with you in the fight against transnational crimes and their adverse effects on our peoples and on our communities.”
The practice of illegal surrogacy outside the United States is an ongoing issue. In December of 2023, Live Action News reported on an investigation that found “prices for surrogacy services range from 550,000 yuan ($77,128) to almost one million yuan ($140,024), with hundreds of surrogate mothers scattered in cities across China. A salesperson told the investigators that the agency sees 300 births each year, and also provides other 'services,' such as customizing the gender of embryos used for IVF.”
As of October 29, Lieutenant General Sok Sorumnea, spokesman for the General Department of Immigration said he had not as of yet received confirmation of the transfer of the four women detained in this most recent raid.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Bridget Sielicki
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·International·By Melissa Manion
Cambodian government arrests 5 women linked to illegal surrogacy ring
A Chinese woman is charged with cross-border human trafficking, and four other women have been detained following an October 24th raid in Phnom Penh’s Thmey commune in Cambodia.
Four Vietnamese women and one Chinese woman were arrested in an illegal surrogacy scheme.
The Chinese woman reportedly managed the four Vietnamese women, though it's not clear what role the latter played in the surrogacy ring.
The four Vietnamese women face deportation, while the Chinese woman has been charged with human trafficking.
The enforcement effort was led by Phnom Penh police, and took place at the Borey Sen Sok condominium. According to the Phnom Penh Post, the senior team on hand is responsible for combating human trafficking, protecting minors and addressing gender-related issues, as well as security affairs, in coordination with the Sen Sok district administration.
Evidence seized at the scene points to the Chinese woman as having plans to use the Vietnamese women as part of a surrogacy scheme, the details of which remain unclear.
Brigadier General Chheang Sareth, head of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit, said, “The four Vietnamese women were sent to the General Department of Immigration to prepare documents for their deportation.”
As for the Chinese woman, the investigating judge has sent her to prison while she awaits trial.
According to the KHMER Times, the “suspect faces charges of cross-border human trafficking under Article 16 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, and acting as an intermediary between adoptive parents and pregnant women under Article 332 of the Criminal Code. She faces 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted.”
In a related case, in December of 2024, 13 women from the Philippines were convicted of charges relating to human trafficking as part of a separate illegal surrogacy ring. These women were part of an organized crime operation selling babies to foreigners for cash.
In an interesting change of events, Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, pardoned the 13 women in February 2025. They were then flown back to the Philippines.
“We will never forget this act of magnanimity from His Majesty, a testament to the strong relations between our two countries,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said before a closed-door meeting with the Cambodian premier and his delegation in Manila. “We will continue to stand with you in the fight against transnational crimes and their adverse effects on our peoples and on our communities.”
The practice of illegal surrogacy outside the United States is an ongoing issue. In December of 2023, Live Action News reported on an investigation that found “prices for surrogacy services range from 550,000 yuan ($77,128) to almost one million yuan ($140,024), with hundreds of surrogate mothers scattered in cities across China. A salesperson told the investigators that the agency sees 300 births each year, and also provides other 'services,' such as customizing the gender of embryos used for IVF.”
As of October 29, Lieutenant General Sok Sorumnea, spokesman for the General Department of Immigration said he had not as of yet received confirmation of the transfer of the four women detained in this most recent raid.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Angeline Tan
·International
Cassy Cooke
·International
Right to Life UK
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Cassy Cooke
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·Newsbreak
Melissa Manion
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·Issues
Melissa Manion
·