The Kandal Provincial Court has sentenced 13 Filipino women to two years in prison for violating Cambodia’s 2008 Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) confirmed.
The women were among 20 Filipinas arrested by Cambodian authorities for involvement in illegal surrogacy.
Seven of the arrested women, who were not yet pregnant, were repatriated to the Philippines without facing charges.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and prosecutors are investigating the recruiters responsible for trafficking these women.
“We are grateful to the Cambodian government for significantly reducing their sentences from the original 15 to 20 years to just two years,” the IACAT said in a statement.
“We extend our deepest appreciation to the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia, led by Ambassador Flerida Ann Camille Mayo, for their steadfast support of the Filipino women, and to the Department of Justice team that traveled to Cambodia to advocate on their behalf.”IMT
