Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — A horrifying human trafficking case has been uncovered, where around 100 women were lured and imprisoned in what they describe as a “human egg farms.” They were exploited by having their eggs harvested to be sold on the black market.
The shocking case came to light after three Thai women managed to escape the facility on January 30, 2025, revealing their ordeal after being exploited for nearly six months, according to Asumsi. The three women reported that they were held captive by an organized crime group who then sold their eggs on the black market.
Authorities believe the victims were part of a scheme operated by a Chinese criminal syndicate in Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
The Scheme
The three women fell victim to the so-called ‘human egg farms’ scheme after being promised jobs as surrogate mothers for childless couples. One of the victims said the ordeal began when she saw a job advertisement on Facebook in August 2024, offering a salary of 400,000 to 600,000 baht (approximately $11,000 to $16,500).
When contacted, she was told the job involved becoming a surrogate mother for couples unable to conceive in Georgia. She claimed that her employer promised to cover her passport and travel expenses.
However, upon arrival in Georgia, the reality was far from what was promised. “They took us to a house where there were 60 to 70 Thai women. The women there told us there was no surrogacy contract,” one of the victims said on Tuesday (February 11) as reported by Kumparan.
The victims were housed in four large properties alongside nearly 100 other women and soon realized that the job offer was a scam. “Once we understood that the situation was not as advertised, we became scared and tried to contact our families,” one victim recounted.
Forced Egg Harvesting
Instead of working as surrogates, they were forced to receive hormone injections to stimulate their ovaries and had to undergo monthly egg retrieval procedures.
The victims described their ordeal as being trapped in a “human egg farms,” likening their treatment to that of livestock. “They injected us with hormones, sedated us, and extracted our eggs using machines,” one victim recounted.
The harvested eggs were allegedly sold in black market and smuggled to other countries for use in illegal in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.
Held for Ransom
The women were reportedly unable to leave unless they paid a ransom of 70,000 baht (approximately $2,200), leaving many of them trapped with no escape.
One former victim, who managed to buy her freedom, reported the human trafficking operations to Pavena Hongsakula, the founder of a Thai foundation dedicated to protecting women and children. On January 30, 2025, Pavena collaborated with Interpol to rescue three Thai women after paying their ransom.
She believes there were still hundreds of women held captive inside the what called ‘human egg farm’.
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Investigation Underway
It remains unclear how many women are still being held captive in these so-called “human egg farms.” Thai authorities and Interpol have launched a full-scale investigation to dismantle the criminal network behind the operation and rescue more victims.
This case highlights a disturbing new form of human trafficking, where women are exploited as commodities for the illegal IVF industry. Authorities hope the investigation will uncover those responsible and prevent further victims fallen to the human trafficking operations.
(Raidi/Agung)
