An alarming number of cases of a new type of human trafficking scheme links forced labour to surrogacy arrangements on female victims.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday, October 23, expressed alarm over the rising cases of trafficked women for illegal surrogacy abroad. In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Viado shared the interception of another victim who is trying to leave the country to work as a surrogate mother.
She was offered to work as a surrogate for half a million Pesos. However, as the 37-year-old victim attempted to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Batumi, Georgia, she was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
According to the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the woman presented herself as a sales associate who was travelling to Georgia for business purposes. However, the primary inspection officer noticed discrepancies in her statements and was referred for a secondary inspection.
During interviews, she admitted to being recruited as a surrogate mother for an unidentified client. She said that a male recruiter contacted her via WhatsApp, and offered her Php 28,000 per month during pregnancy. After childbirth, she will receive a final payment of more than Php 500,000. The recruiter also enticed her with promises of covered medical treatments and other benefits, apart from her documentation and travel costs.
Operatives believe that this represents a new type of human trafficking scheme, linking forced labour to surrogacy arrangements. They noted that female victims are offered favourable living conditions by recruiters, only to end up facing exploitation and abuse.
This is the seventh recorded case of surrogate mothers who were intercepted at the airports. Earlier this month, the Philippine authorities rescued 20 Filipino women who were made surrogate mothers in Cambodia.
Viado condemned the scheme as it showed a troubling trend of individuals being misled into such roles under pretenses. He stated that the exploitation of surrogacy falls within the scope of human trafficking, as it coerces or deceives women into becoming surrogate mothers.
The intercepted victim was referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance and the filing of cases against her recruiters.
