Thailand and Georgia have launched investigations into a human trafficking ring accused of exploiting Thai women for egg harvesting in the South Caucasus region.
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In February, Georgia’s interior ministry reported that three Thai women working as surrogate mothers in the country were sent back to Thailand. As part of the investigation, four foreign nationals were reportedly questioned, per Reuters.
Surapan Thaiprasert, commander of the Royal Thai Police’s Foreign Affairs Division, also confirmed to the outlet that Thai authorities have launched an investigation.
An Alleged Victim of the Human Trafficking Describes How Their Eggs Were ‘Extracted with a Machine’
Meanwhile, at a press conference in Thailand, one of the alleged victims spoke anonymously, her identity concealed by a face mask and hat. She explained that she had responded to a social media ad seeking surrogate mothers, offering a monthly payment of 25,000 baht ($742.94) to live with families. After agreeing to the arrangement, she was taken to Georgia, traveling through Dubai and Armenia, where she was escorted to a house by two Chinese nationals.
“They took us to a house where there were 60 to 70 Thai women,” she said. “The women there told us there was no (surrogacy) contracts or parents.”
The alleged victim also claimed that the women, “would be injected to get treatment, anesthetized and their eggs would be extracted with a machine. After we got this information and it was not the same as the advertisement, we got scared, we tried to contact people back home.”
The Alleged Victims Feigned Illness to Avoid Having Their Eggs Taken
At the press conference, the women revealed they had pretended to be ill, deliberately appearing weak to deter their captors from harvesting their eggs. They also disclosed that their passports had been confiscated, and they were warned by their captors that returning home to Thailand could result in their arrest.
However, authorities believe even more women remain in Georgia.
The Pavena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women, a Thailand-based NGO that facilitated the return of the three women, estimates that approximately 100 more trafficked women are still in Georgia.