#Surrogacy in cambodia cost

[surrogacyagencykenya]

Surrogacy in Cambodia: Why it may not be favorable destination to cherish your parenthood goals?

There have been lots of talks and debates regarding the legality of surrogacy in Cambodia in the past. Still, if we talk about the current situation, the government of Cambodia had banned commercial surrogacy few years back. Moreover, this decision was made due to growing concerns over exploitation and human rights abuses.

That said, you may come across many surrogacy agency in Cambodia offering low cost surrogacy options to the international intended parents. While this may create some ethical and legal issues, we would advise you to read the following parts of the blog before reaching to a conclusion.

Is Surrogacy legal in Cambodia?

Even though talks are going around legalizing surrogacy in Cambodia, it still stands as illegal in this part of the world. Moreover, the government has provided the following reasons in the same context.

Exploitation of Women: As per the government officials, one of the primary reasons for the ban was to protect potentially vulnerable women from exploitation. These officials further stated that women acting as surrogate mother in Cambodia often come from impoverished backgrounds and might feel pressured into surrogacy due to financial difficulties.

Lack of Regulation: Prior to the ban, Cambodia had no specific laws or regulations governing surrogacy. This lack of a regulatory framework made it difficult to ensure ethical and fair treatment of all parties involved.

Besides, there were no regulations regarding gay surrogacy or single parent surrogacy in Cambodia. So, the couples or individuals didn’t have many options in the same regard.

Child Welfare Concerns: Concerns were raised about the welfare and rights of the children born through surrogacy. Moreover, issues such as citizenship, parentage, and the child's right to know their biological origins were brought into question.

International Pressure: International pressure and scrutiny also played a part in this decision. After countries like India, Nepal, and Thailand restricted commercial surrogacy, Cambodia became a go-to destination for foreign intended parents, leading to a sudden and unregulated growth in the industry.

Besides, a list of surrogacy agency in Cambodia started offering low cost surrogacy programs and plans to the intended parents across the globe.

Medical Ethics: There were concerns about the medical ethics of the surrogacy process, including the risks to the surrogate mother in Cambodia and the children born from surrogacy.

Commercialization of Surrogacy: There were concerns that surrogacy was turning into a commercial industry rather than a medical service, exploiting women's bodies for profit. The government official said that even though surrogacy cost in Cambodia was low, entities used this practice as a money minting machine.

What are your best alternative options for surrogacy in Cambodia?

According to the experts, the following countries are been recommended as the best alternative to surrogacy in Cambodia due to their legal protections for intended parents and surrogate mothers, quality healthcare systems, and the availability of professional surrogacy agencies. However, legal and societal attitudes toward surrogacy can change quickly, so it's essential to consult with a lawyer or surrogacy professional for the most accurate and current information.

Surrogacy in USA

The U.S. is one of the most popular destinations for surrogacy due to its advanced medical technology, experienced professionals, and comprehensive legal framework. Moreover, laws can vary by state, with some states having explicit laws supporting surrogacy. That said, the U.S. is also one of the few countries that allow for compensated surrogacy.

On the other hand, you may have to pay a higher amount for surrogacy in USA in comparison to Cambodia and that comes as the only downside.

Surrogacy in Canada

 In Canada, altruistic surrogacy (where the surrogate mother is not paid a fee beyond her expenses) is permitted. It is known for its strong legal protections for intended parents and surrogates, and for its quality healthcare system.

Just like USA, surrogacy in Canada is also cost effective. Hence, you may have to shell out some extra amount in terms of surrogacy cost.

Surrogacy in Ukraine

 In Ukraine, both altruistic and commercial surrogacy is allowed for heterosexual couples. Moreover, this country has become a popular destination due to its lower costs and clear legal framework.

Surrogacy in Georgia

 Like Ukraine, Georgia allows commercial surrogacy and has clear legal protections for intended parents. However, as per the surrogacy laws of the country, surrogacy in Georgia was only available to heterosexual couples.

Surrogacy in Greece

 Greece has comprehensive laws protecting all parties involved in surrogacy, and it was one of the first European countries to legalize the practice. On the other hand, both altruistic and commercial surrogacy is allowed, and as of 2014, the country opened surrogacy to foreign couples and single women.

Are there any low cost surrogacy options?

As per the best surrogacy experts, here are five countries that were often noted for their lower-cost surrogacy options. That said, please keep in mind that "low cost" is relative, and surrogacy can still be a significant expense in these countries. Additionally, legal and societal attitudes toward surrogacy can change quickly, so always consult with a lawyer or surrogacy professional for the most current and accurate information.

Ukraine: Ukraine has been a popular destination for surrogacy due to its relatively lower costs compared to countries like the United States. Besides, the country has a clear legal framework for surrogacy and allows for commercial surrogacy for heterosexual couples.

Georgia: Like Ukraine, Georgia offers lower-cost surrogacy options with clear legal protections for intended parents. As of now, surrogacy in Georgia was available to heterosexual couples.

Russia: Russia allows commercial surrogacy and has relatively lower costs than some Western countries. However, navigating the legal landscape can be complex, and professional assistance is recommended.

Kenya: Kenya has emerged as a destination for surrogacy due to lower costs. However, as of now, Kenya did not have explicit laws governing surrogacy, which can lead to legal uncertainties.

Final words

It's important to note that lower costs should not be the only factor considered when choosing a country for surrogacy. Besides, intended parents should also consider the legal protections for all parties, the quality of healthcare, the experience and reputation of surrogacy agencies, and the ethical implications of surrogacy in that country. That said, surrogacy is a complex process that involves significant emotional, financial, and legal commitments, and thorough research and professional guidance are essential.

Source: https://kenyasurrogacy.blogspot.com/2023/05/Surrogacy-in-cambodia.html

[surrogacypoint]

Surrogacy Cost in Cambodia and Legal Alternatives to Consider

[worldfertilityservices-blog]

Know the Cost Details of Surrogacy Cost in Cambodia

Cambodia’s nearness to Thailand implies numerous solidified developing lives from Bangkok facilities have been transported overland to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Notwithstanding surrogacy, as well as IVF is totally remote to Cambodian society.

Visit Us: https://pin.it/5CzNNUN

[coochiequeens]

How many scandals have to happen before proponents of surrogacy agree that there has to be more regulations?

NONTHABURI – Officers from the Crime Suppression Division apprehended the leader of a network that trafficked sperm across Thailand’s border into neighbouring countries. The sperm was utilised to impregnate Laotian and Cambodian women who served as surrogates for Chinese clients.

The suspect, 33-year-old Thiraphong Chaiyasuk, was arrested on February 24, 2024 outside his house in Nonthaburi province. He had been wanted on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the criminal court in 2022.

The investigation began in 2017 when Nong Khai customs officials intercepted a shipment of liquid nitrogen containing six frozen semen vials intended to be smuggled across the border into Laos. The investigation led to the discovery of a large network of Chinese investors who were hiring people to smuggle sperm into fertility clinics in Laos and Cambodia.

The sperm was used to fertilize eggs from Laotian or Cambodian women who were paid as surrogate mothers. The children resulting from these pregnancies had the nationality of the surrogate mother, which could be used by Chinese criminal groups to launder money.

The investigation revealed that Thiraphong was a member of the network and led the team that smuggled the semen across the border. He had been on the run since 2017 and was hiding in Nonthaburi province when he was arrested.

Thiraphong confessed to being a member of the network and said he was responsible for overseeing the team that transported the semen. He said he had been doing this since 2014 and that he transported about 100 vials of semen per trip. He was paid 10,000-15,000 baht per trip.

Thiraphong said the reason why the network does not work in Thailand is that it is difficult to get approval and the costs are high. In neighboring countries, the laws are more lax and the costs are lower.

Thiraphong was charged with using others to bring or take prohibited goods out of the kingdom without permission” and “using others to illegally import or export sperm, ova or embryos out of the kingdom.

[trendynewsnow]

The Complex Landscape of Commercial Surrogacy in Cambodia

The Global Landscape of Commercial Surrogacy Commercial surrogacy has emerged as a widely sought-after service across the globe. However, as nations implement stricter regulations to combat potential exploitation, the journey for prospective parents is becoming increasingly complex. In Western countries, the costs associated with surrogacy typically range from €50,000 to €200,000, prompting many…

[alaturkanews]

Cambodia cracks down on illegal international surrogacy as demand remains high

Commercial surrogacy is a highly popular service around the world — but as countries crack down on the potential for exploitation, it is becoming steadily harder for prospective parents to pursue. In Western nations, surrogacy services can cost between €50,000 and €200,000. As a result, some Europeans are turning to developing countries where surrogates can be found more affordably. Among the top…

[medfertility]

Surrogacy Cost in Cambodia

Surrogacy costs in Cambodia vary depending on factors like medical procedures, legal fees, and agency services. Generally, expenses may include surrogate compensation, medical screenings, IVF procedures, legal contracts, and agency fees, totaling between $40,000 to $60,000. It's crucial to consult with reputable agencies and legal experts for accurate estimates and guidance.

[becomeparentsurrogacy]

Why low cost surrogacy options may not always be the best?

 Surrogacy is world recognized as a procedure where a where a woman carries and delivers a child for another individual or couple. Whereas it offers a big ray of hope for many who cannot have children, the surrogacy cost aspect often pushes the intended parents to seek cheaper options. However, low-cost surrogacy can come with certain risks and challenges for the intended parents right from the start. That said, we will investigate in the following sections of this blog why going for cheaper surrogacy might not be the right way to go ahead. Moreover, we will quote down some real time examples in the same regards.

Risks attached with low cost surrogacy

Risks related to health and safety

In low-cost surrogacy alternatives, the quality of medical care may well be compromised. Moreover, you may not get the right medical attention with the support of top class medical experts. In 2013, an Australian couple's story made all the big news when they found their surrogate twins had Down syndrome. The couple opted for surrogacy in Thailand due to the higher surrogacy cost in Australia.

Moreover, the couple was not prepared for this, mostly since the low-cost clinic they chose in Thailand did not offer comprehensive hereditary testing. This highlights how cutting costs can lead to sub-standard medical screening and care, influencing the health of the child and the surrogate.

Challenges related to legal and ethical issues

You cannot kick start your surrogacy journey without proper legal guidance. Moreover, in low cost surrogacy options, the legal counseling may be negligible, driving to complex issues later on. A recent case is that of child M in the United States in 1986. That said, the surrogate mother, who was paid a smaller amount as surrogacy cost, chose to keep the child. This dispute triggered a legal fight among all the parties. Also, this case underlines the significance of having a strong surrogacy regulation, which is frequently missing in low-cost surrogacy options.

Compromise with the surrogate welfare

The welfare of the surrogate is another basic issue. In 2012, an Indian surrogate passed away due to complications amid pregnancy. This case, among others, raised questions regarding the care and support given to surrogates in lower-cost surrogacy programs. Also, it is basic that surrogates receive satisfactory healthcare, support, and compensation, which may not be ensured in cheaper alternatives.

Lower success rates

You can expect the lower success rates with low cost surrogacy options. That said, in a low-cost surrogacy in Georgia, a couple went through multiple miscarriages before finally succeeded two years later. This not only increased their general costs but also led to severe emotional trauma. So, we can say that high-quality medical care and careful screening options, regularly found in more costly programs, can essentially increase the chances of a effective pregnancy.

Bringing emotional stress and trauma

The emotional and mental affect of surrogacy is significant. In a case from 2014 in Ukraine, a surrogate mother could give up on her child due to the emotional attachment. This drove to severe mental trouble post-delivery. Even though she was been paid good surrogate mother cost in Ukraine, she refused to give up on the child. That said, such emotional viewpoints can be ignored in low-cost surrogacy, where counseling and mental support are often minimal.

Higher chances of surrogate exploitation

There are also numerous concerns regarding surrogate abuse in the low cost surrogacy in Georgia or any other country. For example, a report from Cambodia in 2016 highlighted how women were being misused as surrogates. As per the reports, the surrogate mothers were only receiving a small portion of the money paid by the intended parents. On the other hand, this exploitation becomes a bigger probability in low cost surrogacy programs.

At the same time, the long-term implications of surrogacy programs can prove to be critical. In a case from Ukraine in 2018, a couple confronted legal challenges in bringing their surrogate child back to their nation due to some missing medical documents. According to reports, this came out due to lower surrogate mother cost in Ukraine paid to the agency and the surrogate on board,

Lower quality of life for the surrogate and the child

The quality of life for the child and surrogate is paramount in a surrogacy program. In a 2016 case in the United States, a surrogate mother carrying triplets was influenced to go through a selective reduction by the intended parents, leading to ethical and legal predicaments. Also, this case highlighted how lower-cost surrogacy programs can lead to circumstances where the quality of life for both the child and the surrogate isn't enough considered.

Final words

While higher cost of surrogacy can be a tough ask for many intended parents, going for a cheaper option may bring all the complications mentioned above. So, being a responsible intended parent, you must take care of all the elements while keeping the interests of the child above anything.

Also, it is vital for those considering surrogacy to understand that this is often not a cheaper course of action. Besides, It includes the well-being of the surrogate and the child, as well as the emotional and mental wellbeing of all parties included. Hence, choosing a surrogacy arrangement that prioritizes these elements, with affordable costs, is significant for a secure, moral, and effective surrogacy journey.

Source: https://becomeparentsurrogacy.blogspot.com/2023/11/low-cost%20surrogacy%20.html

[becomemother0]

Become Mother -  surrogacy agency in Combodia specializing in connecting intended parents to surrogates, We offer the best surrogacy services to gay couples and every one of those ladies who are not ready to convey the pregnancy in their own womb.

[becomeparents]

Build your family through surrogacy. Become Mother is the best surrogacy centre in Cambodia providing the best surrogacy services for singles, same-sex, and married or non-married heterosexual couples. We are the premier surrogacy agency, offering very affordable, full-service surrogacy programs.

[surrogacyagencykenya]

Low Cost Surrogacy in Cambodia | Surrogacy Agency Kenya

Surrogacy Agency Kenya offers low cost surrogacy in Cambodia, providing affordable and high-quality surrogacy solutions. Our team make sure a smooth surrogacy journey for low cost in Cambodia, with personalized support and care at every step of the surrogacy. Trust Surrogacy Agency Kenya for cost-effective and reliable surrogacy services. Contact us today and get a low cost surrogacy.

[surrogacypoint]

Surrogacy Cost in Cambodia and Legal Alternatives to Consider

[kivenwough]

Why Surrogacy Needs Rules?

Surrogacy is not a novel concept. Women have chosen others to deliver a baby in their name for hundreds of years. Earthly Angels discovered that surrogacy has recently exploded because of technological advancements such as IVF, societal views changing, and the tendency of having children afterward. It has grown into a global phenomenon during the last two decades. Sharron Wooten says there are no exact numbers on how many children are involved, but the surrogacy industry was supposed to be worth $6 billion (£4.7 billion) in 2012. The number of parental orders issued after a surrogate delivery in the United Kingdom has quadrupled from 121 in 2011 to 368 in 2018. Because there is no requirement to obtain such an order, the real number of surrogacy partnerships may be substantially greater.

 Surrogacy is divided into two types: gestational surrogacy, in which an egg and sperm are placed into the surrogate mother, and conventional surrogacy, in which the surrogate mother's own egg is utilized. The method has the potential to provide significant benefits, particularly for people who are unable to have healthy children, by enabling people and families to have their "own" kid without having to go through a lengthy and restricted adoption process. The rest of the time, these operations go without a hitch. Surrogacy's rising popularity, however, has come at a human cost, with reports of possible maltreatment making the news multiple times in recent years. Surrogacy recruiting can attract economically and emotionally weak women, who are lured to the large sums of money on offer.

 One issue is that surrogacy regulation differs greatly from nation to country, according to history, culture, and societal beliefs. Some overseas surrogacy destinations are uncontrolled, which is concerning. If their home country prohibits or restricts surrogacy, prospective parents can simply travel to a country with more lenient laws, or, more dangerously, a country where the practice is entirely unregulated. In recent times, would-be mothers have flocked in droves to nations such as India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal, only for these governments to close their clinics to foreigners due to worries about citizen mistreatment. However, when one surrogacy hotspot closes, another springs up to take its place. The prospective exploitation of women in impoverished nations, as well as the perils of treating children as commodities, raises severe ethical concerns. Furthermore, health tourism might result in major legal issues.

 While some nations recognize the surrogate as the legal parent, others assign parentage to the intended couple from the point of delivery, resulting in statelessness for the children. Neither the mother nor the expectant mother wants parental rights to the child. If the kid returns home with the commissioning parents, authorities in that nation must determine whether to give effect to the arrangement reached abroad and enable them to become legal parents in their own country. In most nations, the child's well-being goes first. As a result, governments are frequently obligated to accept the arrangement's outcomes, turning a blind eye to any abusive acts that may have occurred elsewhere. Governments that prohibit or limit commercial surrogacy are reluctant to sign on to something that enables it, and vice versa. This puts authorities in an awkward position: the global surrogacy market arose as a result of inconsistencies in legislation throughout the world, yet they seem unable to properly oversee the practice precisely because of these discrepancies. Earthly Angels Surrogacy can bring joy to a long-awaited child through your visit at EarthlyAngelsConsulting.com.

[coochiequeens]

I agree that producing babies for adoption is human trafficking but the people who should be punished are those exploiting poor women not the women themselves. And making poor women raise children not theirs is just cruel to born the women and children.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The baby was not hers, not really.

Hun Daneth felt that, counted on that. When she gave birth to the boy, who didn’t look like her, she knew it even more.

But four years after acting as a surrogate for a Chinese businessman, who said he had used a Russian egg donor, Ms. Hun Daneth is being forced by the Cambodian courts to raise the little boy or risk going to jail. The businessman is in prison over the surrogacy, his appeal denied in June.

Even as she dealt with the shock of raising the baby, Ms. Hun Daneth dutifully changed his diapers. Over the months and years, she found herself hugging and kissing him, cajoling him to eat more rice so he could grow big and strong. She has come to see this child as her own.

“I love him so much,” said Ms. Hun Daneth, who is looking after the boy with her husband.

The fates of a Cambodian woman, a Chinese man and the boy who binds them together reflect the intricate ethical dilemmas posed by the global surrogacy industry. The practice is legal — and often prohibitively expensive — in some countries, while others have outlawed it. Still other nations with weak legal systems, like Cambodia, have allowed gray markets to operate, endangering those involved when political conditions suddenly shift and criminal cases follow.

When carried out transparently with safeguards in place, supporters say, commercial surrogacy allows people to expand their families while fairly compensating the women who give birth to the children. Done badly, the process can lead to the abuse of vulnerable people, whether the surrogates or the intended parents.

The practice flourishes in the nebulous space between those who can and cannot bear children; between those with the means to hire someone to bear their biological offspring and the women who need the money; and between those whose sexuality or marital status means they can’t adopt or otherwise become parents and those whose fertility spares them having to face such restrictions.

Cambodia became a popular surrogacy destination after crackdowns in other Asian countries nearly a decade ago. Foreigners flocked to newly opened fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies in Phnom Penh, the capital.

As the industry flourished, the government imposed a ban on surrogacy, promising to pass legislation officially outlawing it. The ill-defined injunction, imposed in a graft-ridden country with little rule of law, ended up punishing the very women the government had vowed to safeguard.

In 2018, Ms. Hun Daneth was one of about 30 surrogates, all pregnant, who were nabbed in a police raid on an upmarket housing complex in Phnom Penh. Although Cambodia to this day has no law specifically limiting surrogacy, the government criminalized the practice by using existing laws against human trafficking, an offense that can carry a 20-year sentence. Dozens of surrogates have been arrested, accused of trafficking the babies they birthed.

In a poor country long used as a playground by foreign predators — pedophiles, sex tourists, factory bosses, antique smugglers and, yes, human traffickers — the Cambodian authorities said they were on the lookout for exploitation.

“Surrogacy means women are willing to sell babies and that counts as trafficking,” said Chou Bun Eng, a secretary of state at the ministry of interior and vice chair of the national countertrafficking committee. “We do not want Cambodia to be known as a place that produces babies to buy.”

But applying a human trafficking law to surrogacy has imposed the heaviest costs on the surrogates themselves. Nearly all of those arrested in the 2018 raid gave birth while imprisoned in a military hospital, some chained to their beds. They, along with several surrogacy agency employees, were convicted of trafficking the babies.

Their sentencings, two years later, came with a condition: In exchange for suspended prison terms, the surrogates would have to raise the children themselves. If the women secretly tried to deliver the children to the intended parents, the judge warned, they would be sent to prison for many years.

This means that women whose financial precarity led them to surrogacy are now struggling with one more mouth to feed. The intended parents are separated from their flesh and blood. And surrogacy, a well-regulated practice in places like the United States, Georgia and Ukraine, has been relegated to the shadows in Cambodia.

From behind the bars of a courthouse in Phnom Penh, Xu Wenjun, the intended father of the boy to whom Ms. Hun Daneth gave birth, spoke quickly, his words tumbling out before the police intervened. He has been in prison for three years.

“My son must be big by now,” said Mr. Xu, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit. “Do you think he remembers me?”

‘Where did he come from?’

Amid a cloud of mosquitoes, near a pile of garbage sodden from recent rains, a boy ran up to Ms. Hun Daneth, still in her factory uniform. She scooped up her son and sniffed his cheek, a sign of affection in parts of Southeast Asia.

Ms. Hun Daneth, now 25, decided to become a surrogate for the same reason as the others: debt, lots of it.

Over the past few years, Cambodian households have become some of the most indebted on earth, victims of a microfinance crisis. Once touted as a transformational tool for lifting families out of poverty, microfinance has in some countries, Cambodia included, devolved into a predatory scheme trapping millions in cycles of dependency.

Local banks compete to offer microfinance loans that can balloon fast. Ms. Hun Daneth said her family took out multiple loans, some just to service interest payments that exceeded 10 percent a month.

“At first it was a few hundred dollars,” Ms. Hun Daneth said, of her family’s burden. “Then it was thousands of dollars.”

Like nearly a million other Cambodians, mostly women, she had left the countryside to stitch together T-shirts and bras, gym bags and sweatshirts in factories. But a couple hundred dollars a month doesn’t go far in the cities.

A scout at the garment factory where Ms. Hun Daneth worked told her of a way out. She could earn $9,000 — about five times her annual base salary — by acting as a surrogate.

She knew of villages outside Phnom Penh where imposing concrete houses, said to have been built from surrogacy payments, loomed over bamboo shacks.

“They paid off their debts,” Ms. Hun Daneth said. “Their lives could start like new.”

The scout was connected to an agency managed locally by a Chinese man and his Cambodian wife. Her sister ran luxury villas where the surrogates stayed.

Eight surrogates who spoke to The New York Times described chandeliers, air conditioning and flush toilets in the villas, none of which they enjoyed at home. Their meals were plentiful. The women dreamed about the money they would earn. They also thrilled at the notion that they were providing a desperately needed service.

“I was helping give someone a baby,” Ms. Hun Daneth said. “I wanted to give that joy.”

Mr. Xu, a prosperous businessman from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, was matched with Ms. Hun Daneth. The one thing he was missing, he told friends who spoke to The Times, was a son to continue the family line.

Most of the Chinese babies carried by Cambodian surrogates are boys. Sex selection is banned in China, but not in Cambodia. Commercial surrogacy is not openly practiced in China, despite official concern about the country’s plummeting birthrate after decades of a brutally enforced one-child policy.

In Cambodian court testimony, Mr. Xu said his wife could not bear a child. But Mr. Xu’s friends, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of antagonizing the Cambodian authorities, said that his situation was more complicated: He had no wife and was open about being gay. Ms. Hun Daneth said Mr. Xu told her about his sexuality. L.G.B.T.Q. couples cannot adopt in China, and gay or single individuals are precluded from surrogacy in most countries where that practice is legal.

Perfect Fertility Center, or P.F.C., a surrogacy agency registered in the British Virgin Islands, showed rare sympathy for L.G.B.T.Q. intended parents, promising babies via Cambodia, Mexico and the United States. The company’s website is illustrated with photos of same-sex couples cradling babies.

P.F.C. was founded by Tony Yu, who turned to Cambodian surrogates for his own children. Mr. Yu, who is openly gay, said Cambodian lawyers assured him that his agency was legal.

It was a multinational operation that spanned continents. Mr. Yu partnered with a fertility clinic in Phnom Penh run by a Vietnamese person. There, a German fertility specialist trained Cambodian doctors. An Indian logistics expert flew in with eggs harvested from donors.

In 2017, Mr. Xu signed a contract with P.F.C., agreeing to pay $75,000 for surrogacy in Cambodia, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

Mr. Xu visited Ms. Hun Daneth at the luxury villa. He told her that the egg donor was a Russian model, and he later showed Ms. Hun Daneth and her husband photographs of a white woman with wavy hair standing next to a sports car.

Mr. Yu, the agency founder, said that many of its egg donors came from Russia, Ukraine and South Africa. The intended fathers were Chinese, and many were gay.

“Mixed-race children are popular with our clients,” said Mr. Yu.

For the Cambodian surrogates, being forced to raise children from other ethnicities can create additional strains in their families and their communities. The children’s features make it hard to explain their origins.

“People wonder, ‘Why does he have brown hair? Where did he come from?’” said Vin Win, 22, another surrogate who was arrested with Ms. Hun Daneth.

Ms. Vin Win’s husband resents the child she bore, she said. They have separated. She hopes the boy will get more than the third-grade education she received.

“I look at my son, and I feel pity because I think he should be living in a nice place,” Ms. Vin Win said. “This is not his real home.”

‘Disaster happened’

The police swarmed past the compound’s marble arches and burst into the two villas, handcuffing pregnant women who had been dozing on their pink-framed beds or lounging on sofas playing Candy Crush.

The police operation in July 2018 followed a regionwide crackdown on commercial surrogacy. Three years before, Thailand had banned the practice for foreigners, shutting down a cheaper alternative to surrogacy in the West, which can cost more than $150,000.

Two cases spooked the Thai authorities. One involved an Australian couple accused of refusing a baby boy with Down syndrome. A judge in Australia later found that the couple had not abandoned the child; the boy remained in Thailand, with the surrogate.

The other case raised concerns about baby trafficking after a Japanese man fathered at least 16 children by Thai surrogates. A Thai court eventually granted the man custody over most of the children after he said that he wanted a large family.

India and Nepal also limited surrogacy for noncitizens. In many of these cases, politicians spoke of the sanctity of the maternal bond and the purity of Asian women.

With options narrowing, Cambodia beckoned. Fertility clinics in Thailand moved across the border. Intended parents arrived from Australia, the United States and, most of all, China.

Ten Cambodian women who spoke to The Times, including the eight who were arrested in 2018, said surrogacy was their choice.

As the surrogacy business blossomed, a senior official from the ruling party questioned whether foreigners should be paying for access to Cambodian women.

With its compromised courts and pliant legal system, Cambodia has been plagued with exploitation, by foreigners and by its own citizens. The government of Hun Sen, the world’s longest-serving prime minister and a former functionary for the murderous Khmer Rouge, has been tied to systemic corruption and the erasure of human rights.

Late in 2016, the Cambodian Ministry of Health announced the ban on surrogacy, but did so without adopting new legislation making it a crime. In the resulting gray space, fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies continued to open up.

The raids began the next year. An Australian nurse and two Cambodian staff members at a fertility clinic that worked with surrogates were convicted of human trafficking.

Mr. Yu, who was not in Cambodia when the police raided the villas, said he’d had no idea that his agency was breaking any law. Lotus Fertility, one of the clinics the agency relied on to perform in vitro fertilization for surrogates, operated out of Central Hospital, a private facility with a strong political pedigree. The hospital’s director and deputy director are the daughter-in-law and son of Dr. Mam Bunheng, Cambodia’s health minister. The hospital has not responded to requests for comment.

“I wanted to do everything legally and openly,” Mr. Yu said. “With the fertility clinic, everyone said, ‘Everything is safe, everything is comfortable, they have a good background,’ so I believed them.”

“But then disaster happened,” he added.

Ms. Hun Daneth said she’d had a sense that she wasn’t supposed to talk too openly about what she was doing. Four other surrogates said they were warned by agency staff not to stroll outside the villa complex.

In documents for Mr. Xu’s payment to P.F.C.’s bank account, an addendum cautions: “Do not note surrogacy-related words when transferring money.”

A Cambodian employee of Lotus Fertility, who agreed to speak only if her name was not used, said that the clinic filed documentation stating that all the in vitro fertilizations were for prospective Cambodian mothers, even though it was clear many of the women were surrogates.

Lotus Fertility has closed. A representative for the clinic blamed the coronavirus for the closure.

In testimony this spring before the United Nations-linked Committee on the Rights of the Child, Ms. Chou Bun Eng, the government official, dodged questions about the children born of imprisoned surrogates.

“The committee does not take a position on whether surrogacy is wrong or right,” said Ann Skelton, a children’s rights lawyer and member of the committee. “But we are concerned about a situation that does not uphold the rights of the women, the intended parents and, of course, the children.”

‘Our babies are the crime’

Chained to a military hospital bed in August 2018, Ms. Hun Daneth delivered a baby with soft brown hair, a pale complexion and the same wide eyes as his intended father.

Another surrogate, Phay Sopha, gave birth sprawled on the cement floor of the military hospital, no midwife in sight.

“The baby came out, and I thought, ‘It looks Chinese,’” Ms. Phay Sopha said. “Then I passed out.”

After Mr. Yu, by his account, paid the police nearly $150,000, the surrogates were released. In total, Mr. Yu said he spent more than $740,000 trying to fix the situation, money paid in cash to intermediaries or to anonymous bank accounts.

A spokesman for the Cambodian National Police, Chhay Kimkhoeun, questioned Mr. Yu’s claim.

“First, is there any evidence of what is said?” he said. “Second, if there is factual evidence, they can file a complaint.”

Ms. Phay Sopha now works at a garment factory, from 6:30 in the morning to 8 at night. She rents a boardinghouse room barely long enough to fit her outstretched body. The child, she said, is back in her village, being raised by her mother.

The government ordered a Christian charity, founded by Americans to combat child sex trafficking, to check up on the women after they gave birth, officials said. Some surrogates said they also had to report to the police station, children in tow.

“It was like we were criminals,” said Ry Ly, another surrogate. “Our babies are the crime.”

Most of the women are struggling financially. Soeun Pheap, aunt to Chan Nak, a surrogate who gave birth to twins, said her niece fed the babies water thickened with a squirt of condensed milk. After living for a while with her aunt, Ms. Chan Nak left abruptly with the babies. She sent another surrogate a message saying she was out of the country and would be returning without the twins.

Despite the surrogates’ promises to the court that they would raise the babies, a good number of the children are no longer in Cambodia and have been united with their Chinese parents, Mr. Yu said.

Mr. Xu, the Chinese businessman now in jail, went to Cambodia to try to extricate his child. He contacted Ms. Hun Daneth directly, even though the agency had warned him to keep a low profile. He bought toys and diapers for the boy, whom he called Yeheng in Mandarin, a name alluding to karmic perseverance.

Mr. Xu submitted a paternity test to the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh. In 2019, he secured a passport for the boy.

A worker from the Christian charity accompanied Mr. Xu to the police station to finish up paperwork. The founder of the surrogacy agency warned Mr. Xu that it was a setup by the police. Officers were waiting. He has been imprisoned ever since.

Representatives for the charity, Agape International Missions, would not comment on Mr. Xu’s arrest.

In 2020, Mr. Xu was convicted of human trafficking and sentenced to 15 years in prison. In June, his appeal was denied.

“Are they serious that he is trafficking his own child?” said May Vannady, Mr. Xu’s lawyer, waving a notarized copy of the paternity test.

Mr. May Vannady says they will take their appeal to the Supreme Court. Ms. Chou Bun Eng, the government official, said that the conviction should stand. She suggested that Chinese gangs wanted to harvest organs from children born of Cambodian surrogates.

This spring, Ms. Hun Daneth took a day off work and rode a motorized rickshaw to the appeals court in Phnom Penh. Mr. Xu didn’t mean any harm, she told the judge. He only wanted a son. He was not a baby trafficker.

Still, she told the court, she had grown attached to the boy. After the hearing, Ms. Hun Daneth said she had decided to move back to the countryside because she did not want anyone to kidnap her son. She didn’t like it when Chinese-speaking people showed up at her home.

“No one will take him from me,” she said. “He is mine.”

[gauravwankhede]

Surrogacy has been banned in Cambodia since November 2016,when the Ministry of Health and Justice issued a ruling prohibiting it. Given the regulatory reforms, most of the authorities and local officials have vowed to severely enforce the ban. While prospective parents used to opt for Cambodia surrogacy for its low cost surrogacy plans with good medical support, they faced a troublesome situation given the ban on surrogacy in this part of the world.

[becomemother]

Become mother provides the best surrogacy in Dubai at an affordable cost includes gestational surrogacy, international surrogacy treatment, egg donor programs, gay surrogacy, and many others with theline of experts in our team. We have a well qualified and experienced team of surrogacy that caters with the best and advanced set of technology, medical equipment that gives out the best results to our users. We follow all the legal surrogacy law in Dubai and protect our client with all the legalities they require to have a successful surrogacy.