Cambodia has convicted 13 women from the Philippines on charges of human trafficking and acting as pregnant surrogates for a ring which targets foreigners for selling babies in exchange for cash.&nbsp;

The Kandal Provincial Court sentenced the 13 women to four years in prison along with two years of suspension.

The court stated that it possessed strong evidence which proved the intention of the women to have babies "to sell to a third person in exchange for money, which is an act of human trafficking".

It is not expected that the women will serve jail before giving birth and the court did not specify what will be the future of the babies after they were born.

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In Cambodia, surrogacy is illegal, however, agencies have still been offering the service. This case has been unusual in its nature because normally surrogates are employed in their own countries and do not get transported elsewhere.

<h2>How did the police catch the pregnant surrogates?</h2>

The police found the women when they carried out a raid in a villa near the capital Phnom Penh on September 23.

After the women were arrested, Undersecretary in the Philippines Department of Justice Nicholas Felix Ty said that the women themselves had been "victims of human trafficking".

However, the idea was rejected by Cambodian Interior Minister Chou Bun Eng who said that the women were responsible.

Bun Eng said that the police also caught four Vietnamese women and seven Filipino women, however, they were not pregnant and hence, were deported.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/texas-abortion-ban-kills-teenager-as-she-experienced-pregnancy-complications-reports-773387">Texas abortion ban kills teenager as she experienced pregnancy complications: Reports</a>

The court said that a Cambodian woman was imprisoned for two months and one day because they were found to have acted as an accomplice to the mothers and cooked meals for them.

The commercial surrogacy industry saw a boom in Cambodia in 2016 after their neighbouring country Thailand made the practice illegal.

The Cambodian government later banned surrogacy, however, it still continued to thrive.

According to AFP news agency, couples from China are willing to pay agencies somewhere between $40,000 (£31,600) and $100,000 (£79,000) &nbsp;for arranging a surrogate Cambodian mother.

(With inputs from agencies)

Cambodia has convicted 13 women from the Philippines on charges of human trafficking and acting as pregnant surrogates for a ring which targets foreigners for selling babies in exchange for cash.

Cambodia has convicted 13 women from the Philippines on charges of human trafficking and acting as pregnant surrogates for a ring which targets foreigners for selling babies in exchange for cash. The Kandal Provincial Court sentenced the 13 women to four years in prison along with two years of suspension. The court stated that it possessed strong evidence which proved the intention of the women to have babies "to sell to a third person in exchange for money, which is an act of human trafficking". It is not expected that the women will serve jail before giving birth and the court did not specify what will be the future of the babies after they were born. Also Read: Women are getting pregnant for 15 months in Nigeria. Here's all about this disturbing 'miracle pregnancy' In Cambodia, surrogacy is illegal, however, agencies have still been offering the service. This case has been unusual in its nature because normally surrogates are employed in their own countries and do not get transported elsewhere. How did the police catch the pregnant surrogates? The police found the women when they carried out a raid in a villa near the capital Phnom Penh on September 23. After the women were arrested, Undersecretary in the Philippines Department of Justice Nicholas Felix Ty said that the women themselves had been "victims of human trafficking". However, the idea was rejected by Cambodian Interior Minister Chou Bun Eng who said that the women were responsible. Bun Eng said that the police also caught four Vietnamese women and seven Filipino women, however, they were not pregnant and hence, were deported. Also Read: Texas abortion ban kills teenager as she experienced pregnancy complications: Reports The court said that a Cambodian woman was imprisoned for two months and one day because they were found to have acted as an accomplice to the mothers and cooked meals for them. The commercial surrogacy industry saw a boom in Cambodia in 2016 after their neighbouring country Thailand made the practice illegal. The Cambodian government later banned surrogacy, however, it still continued to thrive. According to AFP news agency, couples from China are willing to pay agencies somewhere between $40,000 (£31,600) and $100,000 (£79,000) for arranging a surrogate Cambodian mother. (With inputs from agencies)

Cambodia imprisons 13 Filipinos for acting as pregnant surrogates to sell babies

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