BANGKOK: In a harrowing tale of human trafficking, three Thai women have been rescued from a human egg harvesting operation run by a Chinese syndicate in Georgia, a former Soviet republic. According to the latest Bangkok Post report, the rescue mission came to fruition through the persevering efforts of Pavena Hongsakula, founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women. She had been alerted to the situation by a woman who had narrowly escaped the scheme last September.
The victim shared her ordeal, explaining how she had been coerced into paying 70,000 baht to the gang to secure her freedom. During her time at the facility, she discovered that other Thai women were still trapped, unable to pay for their release. Pavena’s foundation worked closely with the Foreign Affairs police to free three more women on Jan 30, bringing them safely back to Thailand.
Lured into deceptive job offers
One of the rescued victims revealed the deceptive tactics used by the traffickers. She had responded to an advertisement on Facebook promising a lucrative income of 400,000 to 600,000 baht for a surrogate mother position in Georgia. Initially believing the job to be legitimate, the woman was told the work was legal, with the employer covering her passport and travel expenses.
Upon arrival in Georgia, the women were taken to a facility with multiple houses, housing at least 100 Thai women. What they thought would be a surrogate mother programme turned into a nightmare when they were subjected to hormone treatments to stimulate their ovaries and then underwent egg collection under anaesthesia. The eggs were allegedly sold and trafficked to other countries for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), leaving many victims unpaid and exploited.
This operation highlights the ongoing dangers of human trafficking disguised as promising job opportunities, underscoring the need for vigilance and intervention in such cases.