Georgia and Thailand Investigate Human Trafficking Syndicate
The authorities of Georgia and Thailand have launched an investigation into a human trafficking network that illegally harvests eggs from Thai women brought to Georgia. This was reported on the website of the TRT in Russian project.
According to the human rights organization Pavena Hongsakul Foundation, this is a Chinese crime syndicate.
It is noted that the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the repatriation of three Thai citizens who fell victim to the criminal scheme. According to the Thai newspaper The National, their return was facilitated by Interpol.
One of the victims, speaking at a press conference in Thailand, said that the women were lured to Georgia by advertisements on social networks. The fraudsters promised payment of about $740 per month for working as a surrogate mother.
“There were already about 60 Thai women in the house where I was taken, most of whom were unwell. The next day, I was transferred to another house, where I met 10 more women. There were about 100 women in all four houses, and we often saw Chinese men in the area,” the victim shared.
According to her, the perpetrators later told the victims that there were no surrogacy contracts. They were given special injections to stimulate ovulation, and then, under anesthesia, their eggs were extracted using a machine. After the deception was exposed, the women attempted to contact their relatives, but were threatened.
There are no special laws in the Georgian legal framework governing such an area as surrogacy. Companies specializing in such services freely promote them, and surrogacy agreements are considered legal contracts. Georgian authorities have announced that the process of recognizing surrogacy as illegal has already begun.
According to the Pavena Hongsakul Foundation, there may still be about 100 Thai women in Georgia who have fallen victim to the criminal network.
