A group of 32 women who acted as surrogates for Chinese clients were found guilty of human trafficking and handed suspended jail terms with an order to raise their children “well” in Cambodia’s first trial of surrogate mothers.
The 32 were arrested while pregnant in 2018 and, in the absence of laws covering surrogacy, charged under human trafficking laws, drawing criticism from human rights groups who said the women should be treated as victims.
A Chinese man and five Cambodian women arrested alongside the 32, and a Cambodian man and a Chinese woman arrested since, were also sentenced on Monday for their roles in organizing the commercial surrogacy, said court spokesman Y Rin.
