Every child has a right to a definite parentage, namely, that of a father and mother. In the case of surrogate motherhood, the question arises as to the identity of the real mother of the child thus conceived.

The Cambodian Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of 13 pregnant Filipino women for illegally working as “surrogate mothers,” stating that they were discovered during a campaign against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, which is one of the most severe human trafficking issues that Cambodian authorities have been pursuing for years.According to the same source, a villa was raided in Kandal province near the capital, Phnom Penh, on September 23rd. Twenty-four foreign women were found, including 20 Filipinas and 4 Vietnamese women.Cambodian authorities confirmed that 13 of the Filipino women were pregnant and were charged in court under the anti-human trafficking and sexual exploitation law, which was amended in 2016 to ban commercial surrogacy.