Protecting Women and Children: Combating Violence and Exploitation in Surrogacy (CSW70 Side Event) Meetings & Events Date: 12 March 2026 Language: English Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/asset/k1k/k1kljk1qhj Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [18:11]: Hello everyone. We are about to start, so if you can please take your seat. I think we're gonna start in one minute. Thank you so. Much. Good afternoon. Good afternoon everyone and welcome to this high level event on protecting women and children from combating violence and exploitation in surrogacy. The Government of Italy and the olse, in collaboration with the government of Turkey and Paraguay and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, are pleased to convene this discussion on the margin of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. My name is Valeria Robecco. I'm a journalist here at the UN with ANSA Newswire and I'm the President of the United Nations Correspondent Association. It is a great pleasure for me to moderate this discussion today. The conversation takes place in the context of the 70th session of the Commission of Status of Women and aims to provide a space for reflection on the human rights implications that arise in the context of surrogacy, particularly regarding the risk of violence in coercion and exploitation affecting women in vulnerable situations as well as the protection and best interest of the children. Recent analysis and international reporting have highlighted how the rapid expansion of surrogacy arrangements, especially in cross border context, raises complex legal, ethical and social questions. This includes issues related to inequality, the role of intermediaries and the adequacy of existing legal frameworks to effectively safeguard the rights and dignity of all involved. Today's discussion brings together policymaker, experts and representatives of Member States here at the United nations to exchange perspectives on these challenges and on possible policy and in institutional responses. We have a very full program of distinguished speaker this afternoon, so without further delay, let us begin. It is my pleasure to invite His Excellencies Ambassador Giorgio Marapody, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United nations, to deliver their welcome remarks. Ambassador, the floor is yours. Thank you. Thank you. Italy · PR · Giorgio Marapody [21:24]: Sure. Well, thank you, Valeria. And thank you to all of you. It is really a pleasure for me to welcome you all. I see a lot of friends in the room and this is an additional reason for happiness for opening this meeting. I would like to thank the Holy See and the Monsignor Gabriele Cacia. Gabriele, thank you. Thank you for having partnered with us in the organizing this discussion, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls for her important contribution to this debate today's. Event represents the continuation of a conversation that we began last October on the margins of the 80th session of the UN General assembly when Italy hosted the side event, surrogacy as a form of violence against Women and Girls and need for a Global Action. On that occasion, we opened a dialogue on the rapid global expansion of surrogacy and on the second, serious human rights concerns linked to this practice. The discussion we are holding today builds directly on debt exchange and reflects Italy's consistent commitment to keeping this issue at the center of international reflection on the protection of women and children from exploitation and abuse. Italy's position on surrogacy has been consistent and clear. Our legal system is guided by the fundamental principle of protecting human dignity and preventing any form of exploitation of the human body and of human life. From this perspective, surrogacy raises complex ethical, legal and human rights concerns, particularly where women may find themselves in situations of vulnerability or unequal power relationships. In line with these principles, Italy has long maintained a legislative framework which prohibits surrogacy and reflects our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of women and the rights and best interest of the child. At a time when surrogacy arrangements are increasingly transnational, continued dialogue among states, international organizations, experts in civil society is essential. Only through open discussion and international cooperation can we better address the risks of exploitation and strengthen the protection of women and children. With this spirit, I look forward to today's exchange and before I think I will launch now the message. And before we go on with our discussion, I have the pleasure to give the floor through a video message to our Minister for the Family, Birth Rate and Equal Opportunities, to Her Excellency Eugenia Roccella, who will share with us Italy's perspective on this important issue. Thank you. Thank you to all of you. Italy · Minister for the Family, Birth Rate and Equal Opportunities · Eugenia Roccella [25:33]: Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United nations and to the Holy See for their invaluable support in organizing this event. I also wish to warmly thank the distinguished representatives of Paraguay and Turkey for their co sponsorship and engagement. Allow me to convey my deepest appreciations also to Ms. Reem Al Salem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls. We are truly grateful for your close collaboration in making this event possible and above all for your steadfast and courageous dedication to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. In her Most recent report, Mrs. Al Salem has brought renewed and much needed attention to a complex and sensitive surrogacy and its implications for women and children. With clarity and determination, she has highlighted the risks of exploitation and abuse that may arise in this context, underscoring the urgent need to address them as a human right concern. Over the years, the Italian government has kept a firm and consistent position on surrogacy in all its forms. This stance is grounded in a clear conviction that surrogacy represents a serious violation of the dignity of women and the fundamental rights of children. Italy's legal, constitutional and political approach has been coherent and explicit. We reject any commodification of human life and any practice that risks reducing women's bodies to instruments of exploitation. This conviction has been translated into strong legislation and well established case law. This legislation provides for that anyone who in any capacity carries out, organizes or promotes surrogacy arrangements or engages in the commercialization of gametes or embryos is subject to criminal sanctions, including imprisonment and substantial fines. More recently, this legal framework has been further strengthened by another law, the law number 169 of the 2024, which extends the Italian jurisdiction beyond national borders. This ensures that Italian citizens may be held accountable even when such practices are carried out abroad. This position reflects a fundamental principle. Regardless of whether surrogacy is presented as commercial or so called altruistic, and irrespective of the economic circumstances of the women involved, reducing their body to a means for reproductive purposes on behalf of others is incompatible with human dignity. In our constitutional order, dignity is not merely an individual right. It is a fundamental and enduring value that must be upheld and protected in all circumstances. Too often, women involved in surrogacy arrangements find themselves in situations shaped by inequality, vulnerability and economic hardship. Deep structural disparities within countries and between them risk turning reproductive capacity into a commodity. Poverty, unequal bargaining power and fragmented legal frameworks may create situations in which consent is influenced by necessity and autonomy is limited by circumstances. At the same time, we must not lose sight of the rights of a child as clearly enshrined in international law. The best interests of a child must always be a primary consideration. Every child has the right to his, her own family, to an identity, to a nationality, and, and as far as possible, to know his or her origins. Yet in cross border surrogacy arrangements, children may face legal uncertainty, challenges in the recognition of parentage and even the risk of statelessness. We are also conscious that differing national legal frameworks can foster forms of so called reproductive tourism, shifting legal and social risks from one jurisdiction to another. In doing so, they may reinforce global inequalities and create gray areas where responsibility is blurred and accountability weakened. This fragmentation makes it all the more urgent for the international community to reflect together and to act with coherence and determination. At the same time, we believe it is essential to encourage United nations agencies, funds and programs to integrate the prevention of violence, coercion and exploitation linked to surrogacy into their respective mandates and operational frameworks. We consider it essential to promote a comprehensive approach. This includes strengthening legal, social and public policy frameworks to prevent and address all forms of violence, coercion and exploitation associated with surrogacy practices, while ensuring effective protection for women and children and guaranteeing meaningful access to justice. At the same time, it is crucial to reaffirm the need of accountability so that those who profit from abuse, coercion or trafficking are held responsible for their actions. Raising awareness, promoting dialogue and strengthening international cooperation with will also be fundamental in this regard. We plan to organize an international conference in the coming months, providing a valuable platform to share best practices, deepen our collective understanding and enhance collaboration among states. This initiative is intended as the first step in a path to be shared as broadly as as possible at international level, with the aim of eliminating all forms of exploitation linked to surrogacy. As also recalled by the recent European Directive Against Trafficking in Human Beings, which will enter into force in the next months, the conference will be open to all countries willing to engage constructively and to contribute to a common effort to ensure that women and children can live free from coercion, exploitation and violence. Excellencies this is not a debate about ideology. Like I said, it is a debate about human dignity. When a woman's body becomes the object of an economic transaction, when a child origins are treated as a matter of contractual negotiation, and when global inequalities shape reproductive arrangements, the international community cannot remain silent. Progress must never come at the expense of the most vulnerable. Innovation must never override dignity. Let us reaffirm here and now a simple but essential Women are not instruments, children are not commodities, and human dignity is never negotiable. Let us work together across regions, legal systems and perspectives to ensure that our policies reflect not only what what is technologically possible, but also what guarantees that rights of women and children are respected, defended and never compromised. Because in every decision we make and in every policy we shape, our ultimate responsibility is clear to ensure that no woman is exploited, that every child is born into dignity, not into a contract. Thank you. Speaker 4 [36:01]: Thank you to Minister Rocella for her message. Thank you, Ambassador, for your remark. It is now my pleasure to give the floor to Her Excellency Alicia Pomata, Minister of Women of Paraguay. Minister, you have the floor. Paraguay · Minister of Women · Alicia Pomata [36:16]: Thank you, Excellencies, distinguished authorities, friends, we thank the Government of Italy, the Holy See, the Government of Turkey, the Special Rapper Board, inviting us to co sponsor this space for dialogue on a complex and sensitive issue that involves the fundamental rights of women and girls. Surrogacy presents multiple legal, ethical and social dimensions. Its analysis cannot be reduced to a single perspective as it involves the child's right to identity, the protection of the dignity of the gestational mother, situations of economic vulnerability, as well as the legitimate desire to exercise motherhood and to form a family. From Paraguay's perspective, any approach to this issue must begin with a fundamental principle. The comprehensive protection of human rights, especially those of women and girls, while preventing all forms of exploitation or instrumentalization. When addressing surrogacy from Paraguay's perspective, we must necessarily refer to Article 4 of our national constitution, which enshrines the right of flag life as inherent to the human person warranting its protection from conception. This constitutional position is not merely a biological mandate, but a pillar of human rights that requires rigorous analysis regarding the legal security of the child and the dignity of the woman. In light of the growing use of new reproductive technologies, our responsibility is to ensure that that this practice do not lead to the instrumentalization of life or the violation of fundamental rights. In this regard, we inform that the Paraguay State currently does not have specific legislation on surrogacy, nor does it maintain official records on this practice in the country. The absence of data does not allow us to identify concrete risk factors or to adopt a definite normative position. However, we wish to emphasize that from any legal and ethical perspective, it is unacceptable for girls or adolescents to be involved in agreement of this nature. Likewise, it is essential to consider the rights of children. The absence of clear rules may generate legal uncertainty regarding affiliation, identity and other rights directly affecting the best interests of the child. This aspect requires particular attention in any potential regulatory debate. We understand that given the complexity of the issue, any potential regulatory debate requires a broad and participatory national discussion involving competent authorities, expert and specialized institutions in order to build a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon before adopting normative decisions. Likewise, we consider it essential to extend an information gathering at the exchange of international experience. Understanding how other states have addressed the challenge associated with surrogacy, particularly in relation to the prevention of violence, protection against trafficking, and the guarantee of the child's right to identify. It's essential to guide future discussions. Excellencies beyond the different positions that states may adopt. We agree that no practice can justify the violation of human dignity or the exploitation of women in situations of vulnerability. The challenge we face is to ensure that any response, whether regulatory or preventive, places at its center the protection of rights, the non commodification of woman's body and the best interest interests of the child. Paraguay reaffirms its willingness to continue participating in this international dialogue in a constructive and evidence based spirit, always prioritizing the comprehensive protection of women and girls. Thank you very much. UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [40:31]: Thank you very much, Minister. Our next speaker is Sureya Erkan, Director General of the Status of women of Turkey. Ms. Erkan, the floor is yours. Türkiye · Director General on the Status of Women · Sureya Erkan [40:46]: Okay. Honorable Minister, Distinguished Excellencies, Dear participants, It's a great privilege to address you today at the occasional CSW high level side event. Please allow me first to convey the warm greetings of our Minister, Her Excellency Mahinur Gokta to all esteemed participants gathered here today. I'm honored to be here on behalf of Republic of Turkey. Well, everyone in this room, all of us agreed that in a rapid facing multiple crisis, women and children continue to face disproportionate risks and equality between women and men is more vital than ever. Today we address a critical issue that directly affects the human dignity and fundamental rise of women and girls. Surrogacy. Unfortunately, surrogacy creates a market relationship incompatible with human dignity. By transforming women's reproductive capacity into an economic instrument, it turns two areas that cannot be subject to ownership, the human body and the states of the child into a component of commercial exploration. As noted by the UN Special Reporter on Violence against Women, this rapidly expanding global industry is projected to reach nearly $100 billion by 2020. This reality shows that surrogacy is not merely an individual arrangement, but a structural issue fueled by global inequalities and power asymmetries. Moreover, for many women, this process can lead to I have to wear my eyeglasses. So postnatal trauma, deep regret and severe psychological distress. It directly undermines the principle of the inviolability of human dignity guaranteed at the constitutional level. The value of women and children can never be a matter of negotiation. Honorable Minister, Dear participants, as policymakers, our responsibility is clear to protect women from the risk of exploitation and abuse. It is among Turkey's foremost policy priorities. Our constitution recognize the family as the foundation of society. It regulates the protection of women and children as a positive obligation of the state. For this reason, surrogacy is strictly prohibited in Turkey under both domestic law and judicial decisions. Under the Turkish Civil Code the legal bond between a child and the mother is established by birth and woman who gives birth is the legal mother. This principle protects the child's status from uncertainty. It also creates a strong legal foundation against approaches that that attempt to transform the woman's body into a transferable object through contracts. Within this framework, surrogacy should be considered a manifestation of violence against women. As Turkey we approach violence not only as a physical act, but also a phenomenon shaped by economic pressure, psychological harm and structural inequalities. In this context, we act with a zero tolerance principle against all forms of violence against women. One of the strongest legal basis of this approach is our law number 6284. Through this law, we take effective measures to protect women. With our national action plans, we strengthen prevention and protection steps with concrete practices. The empowerment of women is also an integral part of our fundamental policies that eliminate the conditions producing violence. Through the Women's Empowerment Strategy document and action plan, we reduce areas of vulnerability by expanding women's access to rights and opportunities. We strengthen women's economic independence, increase their participation in social life and support their visibility in the in the cultural life. Because empowered women can shape their own lives, she doesn't become the object of any relationship of pressure. Dear participants, Surrogacy is not merely a matter of national legislation. It's a shared ethical and human rights responsibility at the global level. It's now imperative for the international community to act with strong, stronger cooperation against practices that commercialize women's reproductive capacity and undermine their bodily integrity and dignity. Turkey stands ready to contribute to global efforts that place human dignity at the center, take a clear stand against exploitation and advance the multidimensional empowerment of women. I would like to thank the government of Italy and the Holy See for leading this meeting, as well as the co sponsor countries and also the UN Special Reporter on violence against women. I hope that our collective efforts to safeguard the dignity and fundamental rights of women will continue to grow stronger. Thank you. UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [47:06]: Thank you very much. And I now invite His Excellencies Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent observer of the Holy See to the United nations and recently appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America. Congratulations. The floor is yours. Holy See · Permanent Observer · Gabriele Caccia [47:27]: Thank you. Thank you very much. Your Excellencies, distinguished speakers, delegates to the Commission of Status of Women. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like out of set to express my appreciation for our partners in this event, the Government of Italy, as well as to Kiev and Paraguay. The issue of surrogacy is an urgent one in which, unfortunately, the technology and practice has run labs around around the law and ethics. It is also quite sensitive, and many view surrogacy as a compassionate solution for those wishing to be parents. However understandable that aim, the whole context must be taken into account in assessing whether this practice is compatible with respect for the dignity and rights of women and children. Many women who became surrogates cite economic need as their primary reason for doing so. It is not happenstance that stories of the rich and famous commissioning surrogates are common, whereas stories of wealthy women serving as surrogates are rare. The demand for children born through surrogacy already exceeds the supply. The very measures that could best alleviate the conditions which put women at risk of exploitation in surrogacy, such as social protection, education, and economic opportunity, would likely lead to to their refusal to enter such arrangements. One must question whether the surrogacy industry could survive if poverty were eradicated. Where commercial arrangements are permitted, potential surrogates may find themselves in a perverse competition for commissioning patents. Even in jurisdictions where commercial surrogacy is prohibited, there is reason to believe that in many cases reasonable compensation for costs or gifts disguise payments. Some women who would not want to enter surrogacy arrangements may be pressured or even forced into them by family members. Poor women are unlikely to afford independent legal or medical advice and may be reticent to ask questions or refuse requests if it jeopardizes the potential payday. We must also consider the potential collateral costs of surrogacy. One journalist found that she would have been able to require that the surrogate mother stay in a home where her diet, activity, and health could be monitored. This represents an appropriate level of oversight, but more concerningly isolates women from their children and families. Yet those who remain with their families and until childbirth may face questions from their own children about why Mother is not keeping this baby. This fragmentation of family reflects the deeper dangers of commodifying not only in pregnancy but children. As Pope Francis said, a child is always a gift and never the basis of of a commercial contract. Yet when a child is the object of a contract and a transaction, how can commodification be avoided? It cannot be entirely surprising, then. In at least two instances, over a dozen babies have been found being cared for by nannies in rented homes, while the commissioning parents continue to hire more and more women as surrogates. Additionally, this commodification of children can become entangled with prejudices to harmful effect, as in the case of potential disability diagnosis. In such case, the child becomes a flawed product or a problem to be solved rather than a gift to be welcomed and cherished. This attitude is completely adult, with a flourishing and just society in which children can thrive. Indeed, children have rights and interests which must be respected, starting with a moral right to be created in an act of love. Under the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights instruments, children have also a right to know and be cared for by their parents. That these rights cannot always be realized should not be used to excuse a practice which deliberately violates the them. While sympathetic to the very real and understandable desire to have children, we do not believe that these problems can be cured by regulation. In this regard, we were glad to learn that the Hague Conference on Private International Law has recently decided, at least for the time being, not to pursue further a convention on legal Parentage under Surrogacy Arrangements. As Pope Leo has stressed, by transforming gestation into a negotiable service, surrogacy violates the dignity both of the child who is reduced to a product and of the mother exploiting her body and degenerative process and distorting the original relational calling of the family. For that reason, the OLSE is heartened by these events and hopes that it will lead to further steps toward ending this practice in all its forms and at all levels to protect women and children from exploitation and violence. Thank you very much. UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [54:35]: Thank you for your message. We now turn to Reem Asalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, whose recent report has brought renewed attention to the human rights dimension of surrogacy arrangement. Ms. Asarem, the the floor is yours. UN · UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls · Reem Al Salem [55:00]: I really want to extend a very heart warm thanks to the governments of Italy, Paraguay, Turkey and the Holy See for organizing and convening this important side event. As many of you will know, I have dedicated many of my reports to emerging forms of violence against women and girls, and I'm very glad that the CSW conclusions recognized that there are emerging forms of violence against women and girls, although it stopped short of recognizing surrogacy as one of them. But I have recognized the industry or the system of surrogacy as one of these emerging forms of violence. And I believe that it is really important that we collectively unpack this system and understand the immense harms and violence that it causes to those involved, the surrogate women and children born through surrogacy, and that we also understand that we can no longer stand stand idle and pretend that this is a matter of private law, a medical issue that needs to be resolved as such as was mentioned, surrogacy is rising worldwide. There's a large cross border dynamic to it. There's a lot of money involved in it. As was mentioned by the honorable representative from Turkey, it's a multimillion dollar enterprise. And as she also mentioned 2023, the global surrogacy market was valued at almost 15 billion and in fact is projected to reach 100 billion by 2033. Surrogacy as a system is only possible because it is fueled by capitalism and globalization. It's fueled by this no notion that's becoming more and more common that everything, absolutely everything, including humans, parts of human beings, can be bought and sold. And within such a system, women and girls are particularly targeted. They're targeted because they're female and they're targeted for the sexual and reproductive functions that are then commodified through the same system. And the best reflection of this commodification is in fact the language we use to describe surrogate women. We actually often don't speak about them as women or as women engaged in surrogacy. We strip them in our language of their dignity and humanity. Often you will hear terms such as ovens, gestational carriers, incubators. Surrogacy is also. The surrogacy industry is also possible because, as was mentioned repeatedly, it praise and exploits vulnerable women and girls. Women that come from marginalized, impoverished backgrounds. They have precarious legal status. They might be escaping a crisis situation or a war, or they might have fallen into webs of trafficking and slavery. And all this system is fueled also by patriarchal norms, sex and gender inequalities. They are in fact also targeted because there is this notion that women and girls bodies should be controlled. It also is a system that reinforces systemic racism and discrimination. Discrimination, some of you may not know, but in the surrogacy system, there's different prices for the genetic makeup of surrogate mothers. So young white western women, women with higher education, receive up to 100 times more, for example, also for becoming surrogate mothers or for their eggs. And as was said, surrogate mothers and girls experience profound physical, psychological and economic violence at all levels. And this is something that really profoundly shocked me. I was completely unaware of this until I had several conversations and consultations with women that were engaged in surrogacy or were still engaged in surrogacy. The trauma, even if the last time they were surrogate mothers was years ago, was still very raw, was still very visible. Many of them could not actually go beyond what had happened to them. Now, as we said, many of them engage in surrogacy because they are destined and vulnerable and may need to feed their families and children. But even with that intention, what you may not know is that most of them receive as little as 10%. Best case scenarios, maybe 27% of the total payment. Most of what is paid remains actually with the clinics and other intermediaries that set the whole program. Program up. The violence and violations that women and girls experience in surrogacy include everything you can imagine. So, as we mentioned, economic violence, reproductive violence, violations of the right to health, privacy, family physical safety. Being in a surrogate arrangement increases the risk to enslavement, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, trafficking, and the list goes on. It is such a big imbalance that commissioning parents can and do impose also abortion on surrogate mothers in cases of multiple pregnancies, as the honorable Representative from the Holy See mentioned, or fetal disability. But even that is not necessary for a commissioning parent to insist on ordering an abortion. Surrogate mothers have been pressured to terminate healthy pregnancies, including beyond the 12 or 16 weeks, including through coercive tactics such as threats of legal action or withdrawal of support. It's a very risky business to become a surrogate mother. Risky because of the hormones they have to take, but also risky because of the medical procedures. And even when this risk manifests itself, they are unable to stop and withdraw from these arrangements. In fact, the evidence I found points out that surrogate mothers have more than three times higher rates of maternal health complications than other mothers. And the psychological consequences also of being commodified, of losing control, of losing agency, of their desires, being sidelined continuously. It brings a heavy toll. In my report I speak about all the international and regional human rights obligations and standards that this violates. I think you can all look at the report, but it's really a no brainer. I think some of it is very evident. It violates the right to dignity, as was of course stipulated in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. It violates also the right not to be discriminated against based on sex. It violates the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, where also states are obliged to modify social and cultural patterns of conduct that are based on stereotypical roles of men and women. It violates multiple articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol and as well as relevant treaties on the prevention of trafficking, torture and human degrading treatment, and so on. In many jurisdictions, the birth mother is not even recognized as the child's mother, she's in fact treated as a legal stranger. And she is almost always forced to give up the child, even if she wants to keep the child. Children in this arrangement are treated as objects or property to be bought or transferred. Not because their situation requires it, not because it's in their best interest, as for example, happens in adoption. But actually the whole raison d' etre of the surrogacy arrangement is to bring a child to the world that will then be given away or transferred. These children are exposed to harm from even before they were born. As I mentioned, they may be even aborted at any point in time. And when they are born, the evidence shows that they have higher rates of preterm birth and low birth weight. They experience enormous trauma at being almost always separated at birth from the only person they have known in their very short life of nine months. They are at very high risk of ending up stateless or abandoned, including if commissioning parents change their mind, which can happen, which often happens either because they have, as was said, there are multiple pregnancies, or because there's a force measure, maybe a conflict conflict, a war in a country where there are many surrogacy arrangements happening. Or for example during COVID also which prevented the the travel of many commissioning parents. Children were abandoned in the hundreds in Ukraine, for example. Moreover, unlike in adoption, and I think this is important, background checks on commissioning parents are typically minimal or non existent. And so this creates grave risks because frankly, in most situations we don't even know anything about commissioning parents other than the fact that they have a buying power. They may be bought for exploitation, sexual abuse. We have seen reports also through the media of persons being arrested because they have commissioned and bought children through surrogacy. But they have violent backgrounds, criminal records, or they have already engaged in abusing these children. We have also heard, including through the Epstein files, that women were also enlisted as surrogates in order to bring children to the world for harvesting of organs and God knows what other issues. Now, I understand that it's often believed that one has a right to surrogacy because we have a right to form a family. And it's essential sometimes to enable this right to form a family. But as was also mentioned, yes, the right to marry and found a family is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other instruments. However, that right does not mean the right to found a family by all means, including through methods to perpetrate exploitation and abuse. And commissioning a child to force family is really not part of the agreed on list of reproductive rights and similar, when we look at the role of the state vis a vis the family and preserving the unity of the family, according to international law, the state must protect the family as a natural and fundamental group unit of society. But that does not once again include, include an obligation to entertain, aid, abet, facilitate the commission of serious human rights violations through that process. Of course, as you can see, being born through surrogacy gives a complete blow to the best interest of the child, which should always be the primary consideration in, in all decisions on this child's life and future. It also violates the right to know where they came from and to be cared for by a parent. Now, if you wonder how all this becomes possible, one of the main methods to which this becomes possible, possible is the surrogacy contract. The surrogacy contract that most surrogate mothers have to sign because after all, it is a commercial, it's a contractual exercise. They often have to sign contracts they don't understand. There's a language barrier, there's the education barrier, there's a legalistic, complex language. Is the fact, as I said, that they come from vulnerable, destitute backgrounds. They're often alone, they don't have aid, legal aid, nobody to help them understand what they're signing away. And in this unequal power dynamics, the surrogacy agencies and clinics are also involved as intermediaries, but also as actors that will remain with most of the profit. So they are not neutral or impartial, and they are not in there solely for completing a medical procedure. And these contracts, and I encourage everybody in the room to read one of these contracts, they will blow your mind. Contracts often require surrogate mothers to relinquish fundamental rights, including, as I said, waiving medical decision making and confidentiality. There's a complete takeover of all her decisions. She's prevented from traveling, can be prevented from maintaining the normal relations with her family members, even sexual relations with her spouse or partner, decisions as to what she can eat, decisions about living arrangements and so forth. Now, surrogacy is also made possible or this exploitation is also made possible because, and I don't think it applies only to the surrogacy arrangements, but overall, and I speak about this a lot, is that we are pushing these models of exploitation as a basic abuse under the false pretense that women and girls have the right to autonomy and agency and that they are consenting freely. However, as I also say in a separate document and in this report, international law is very clear that you Cannot consent to your own exploitation and abuse. Not to mention that children born through surrogacy can't consent to begin with. It is also made possible by the fact that, as we said, everything can be bought and sold. The surrogacy system in the world becomes like the Amazon of reproductive, of reproduction, where commissioning parents really make very logical kind of decisions. They look at where do they have the best options to choose surrogate mothers, where are the best packages that they can get that are worthy of the money they are paying, where are the least number of regulations, where are there no background checks, etc, etc. So these are very rational decisions they make that any buyer makes about anything, frankly, choice, security of the purchase and obtaining the product and little interference basically in the demand. And that's also made possible because most states actually don't have any position on surrogacy. This is slowly being changed because they are powerful lobbies trying to normalize and push for the legalization of surrogacy arrangements. But commissioning parents and clinics take advantage of the fact that in many jurisdictions the laws are very silent or they allow certain forms of surrogacy, such as altruistic surrogacy, which by the way, in the end is not different from commercial surrogacy, but because the real price is built into this arrangement. So what appears to be reimbursement for daily costs has the price included in it. And as we said, enforcement and oversight mechanisms for surrogacy arrangements are frequently weak or non existent. So having examined this, I have recommended in my report that we take measures to abolish surrogacy. And I use the term abolish, not prohibit, not criminalize surrogacy very consciously. Abolish refers to eradicating the need for the demand for surrogacy arrangements. So it's not about just adopting laws, but also changing societies societal norms that allow this kind of exploitation and ending the demand. So it focuses on ending the buying of children. And in recommending this, I actually based myself on a policy response that exists for prostitution, which is the Nordic model or the abolitionist model. And that is because I think there are very clear similarities between the exploitation of women and girls in prostitution and the exploitation of women and girls in surrogacy. In fact, the modus operandi is the same, the causes are the same, the factors that allow for these systems to flourish and continue are the same. The actors involved are the same. You have the victims, which are impoverished women and girls, or destitute or vulnerable women and girls. You have the Commissioning actors. So the ones who pay, whether they pay for sexual acts in prostitution or they pay for commitment commissioning a parent, they are the ones with the most power. They come from a wealthy background and they can buy whatever they want with the money. And then you have the intermediaries that benefit and profiteer from this process, which are called pimps. In prostitution, you have pimps, but also the clinics involved and anybody else that is profiteering from, from the exploitation of the reproductive functions of women. And girls in surrogacy are also pimps in many ways. And so I feel that the best way to address surrogacy is to adopt an abolitionist model for surrogacy, which is to end the demand. So to have repercussions for buying. We should end the demand either criminalizing, buying or imposing other forms of illegal repercussions for buying. We should, of course, criminalize the work of the intermediaries. And we should treat the women and the girls who act as surrogate mothers as victims, meaning they should not be criminalized. They should be supported, assisted, protected. They should be also provided with exit strategies, as in measures to be able to get out of this being forced to act as surrogate mothers. And irrespective of where countries stand on the issue of surrogacy, we have to also adopt protective measures and real measures for the children born through surrogacy. Irrespective if you criminalize, legalize, or are silent, whatever your modality is, as a country, we need to adopt measures that will protect children born through surrogacy. So they have to be, first of all, provided with few physical security. We have to, of course, also provide them with a legal identity. We have to do a background check on the commissioning parents. And if the background of the commissioning parents is not okay and is not correct, then the children have to be put up for adoption or cared for in another way. The children also have a right to know where they came from. They have a right to know who their legal mother is. So all these things have to be provided for them, and they must not be discriminated against, and they must have access to health care and education. And as the presidency of Italy mentioned, it is high time that we treat this issue with the urgency and importance that it deserves. It cannot remain as a private issue. It must actually rise to the level of urgency with which we treat other cross border global manifestations of violence or threats like terrorism, slavery, humanitarian crisis. So we need to start sharing information. States need to collect information and data on the scale of the phenomena? What happens to the children born through surrogacy? What are the kind of exploitations and abuses that are happening? Who is commissioning from which countries? This is something that all countries can do. And to start creating this platform, hopefully through this conference that Italy wants to launch, in order to start a conversation, a policy conversation, to start to coordinate and think through the issues and find protective solutions for the mothers and the children that are involved. So I will stop here. Thank you very much once again. I'm very grateful. UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [1:19:23]: Thank you, Ms. Asalem. Before moving to the final segment of the event, we will now hear an intervention from the floor in the form of a video message by Professor Nataria Rueda from the Civil Law Department of the University of Colombia, who will share reflections on the legal and human rights aspect of surrogacy. Thank you, Professor. I mean, for the message when it starts. University of Colombia · Professor of Civil and Family Law · Natalia Rueda [1:19:56]: Good morning. Thank you for the invitation. My name is Natalia Rueda, professor of Civil and Family Law at external Columbia University. Today I would like to challenge a dangerous myth that surrogacy represents family diversity or reproductive function freedom, and to address the concrete harms created by surrogacy harms to the women involved and to children born through this practice. The evidence tells a different story. What we see globally is not diversity. It is the commercialization of women's bodies in service of a singular narrow ideology, genetic determinism, the belief that who you are is defined exclusively by your genetic material. This is not progressive, this is reproductive colonialism. And it must be named as such. Surrogacy is presented as altruistic. Yet this altruism is demanded of only one person. The woman who gestates the fertility clinics, the brokers who recruit women, the lawyers, the insurance companies, among other intermediaries, profit. The commissioning parents obtain a child at a fraction of what it would cost in their own countries. Only the woman is told. She's acting out of generosity. This framework masks a transaction. Women and children are subjects of constitutional protection, yet their fundamental rights are violated by contracts between private parties. The market operates simply. It satisfies desires according to purchasing power in Colombia, in India, in Ukraine, commissioning parents select genetic characteristics. But surrogacy tourism packages and schedule Caesareans according to their convenience, not medical necessity. The physical consequences are severe. The women face elevated risk of preeclampsia and long term complications. They cannot make autonomous decisions about their own bodies because they depend financially on the commissioning parents. The absence of long term studies on women's health is itself telling. What we do know from research in Colombia and Un rapporteur al Salem's documentation is that women who just ate suffered complex trauma, dissociation, suicidal ideation, nightmares, depression and lasting psychological pain extending years after birth. Women who donate eggs face potentially life threatening damages. The health risks are not incidental. They are inherent to the arrangement. Children born through surrogacy face distinct violations of their rights. Identity is a complex relational process. The right to know one's biological and genetic origins is essential to establishing affiliation and understanding who one is. Yet surrogacy commodifies this process. A child is born from a contract, not from kinship. The problems are multiple when genetic material is selected. When parents choose characteristics, the child's right to identity is violated at conception. Separation from the gestating woman, the biological mother, creates a biological and relational rupture. The child understands nothing of contracts. The separation constitutes a primal wound comparable to maternal loss at birth. Children born through assisted reproduction show increased risk of congenital malformations detected during pregnancy, serious complications at birth and elevated rates of childhood cancers in medium to long term. Additionally, children born across borders face legal uncertainty. Some remain stateless. The surrogacy contract create them, it doesn't protect them. Underlying all of this is in ideology, genetic determinism. The belief that authentic parenthood is defined exclusively by genetic transmission. Whoever gestates is not the mother. The logic goes only the genetic parents are real parents. This is not diversity. This is genetic reductionism. This model is deeply conservative and exclusionary. It denies the reality of biological connection. Fetal microchimerism, epigenetic mutations, the live reality that who the states does matter. It erases women. The market amplifies this logic. Wealthier clients get more choices. Poorer women have fewer options and bear all the risks. This is not consensual exchange. It is exploitation structured by inequality. The evidence is surrogacy creates systematic harm to women and children. The solution is straightforward. Abolition must be driven by the contrast of demand. Surrogacy is fundamentally a market. The purchasing power. The demand comes from wealthy nations. The ethical response is to prohibit that demand. To make it legally and financially impossible for citizens of wealthy nations to purchase children through surrogacy. This means criminalizing the commission in parents and the intermediaries who profit. Threatening border controls to prevent the cross border transfer of children born to surrogacy. Investing in alternatives such as family support, policies, adoption reforms, support for infertile couples. For the women already harmed, we must provide exit strategies and reparations. The ideology of genetic determinism is is not inevitable or progressive. It is a choice. A Choice made by wealthy nations that can afford to make other choices. Thank you. UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [1:25:45]: Thank you. So today, discussion as highlighted, how surrogacy raises a number of complex and sensitive questions at the intersection of human rights, law, ethics and such policy. Events such this one contribute to the broader effort by bringing together policymakers, expert and international actors to exchange perspective and reflect on possible way forward. So with that, it is my pleasure to invite Stefano Pizzicanella, Director General of the Department for Equal Opportunities at the Prime Minister's Office, to Italy to deliver the concluding remarks. The floor is yours. Italy · Director General, Dept. for Equal Opportunities, PM's Office · Stefano Pizzicanella [1:26:24]: Thank you, Excellencies and distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen, as we come close to the end of this event, allow me to once again extend our sincere thanks to the representatives of the governments of Paraguay, of Turkey and to the Odyssey, as well as to everyone who contributed to today's discussions, starting from, of course, the Italian Permanent Mission to Italy and Ambassador Marapody in first place. Your insights and perspectives and commitment have made this exchange particularly meaningful and have helped enrich today's dialogue. I'm also very honored that this discussion echoes the important findings highlighted in the recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur, Mrs. Al Salem on violence against women and girls. As anticipated earlier in her video contribution by our Minister Roccella, today's meeting represents only a step in what we hope will become a sustained and collective effort to maintain attention on the issue of surrogacy and on the forms of exploitation and violence that too often accompany this phenomenon. As our political authority has already announced, Italy will soon organize an international conference dedicated to this topic. We very much look forward to continuing this important and timely discussion together. So this is not a farewell, but I would say using my own language is Ana Rivederchi. Thanks to today's exchange, we have laid the foundations for continuing to work together to address and prevent exploitation and violence in the context of surrogacy. Thank you very much to you all. UNCA · Moderator · Valeria Robecco [1:28:10]: Thank you very much. And again, on behalf of the organizer Italy, the Olysee, Turkey and Paraguay, together with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls. Thank you all for joining today discussion and have a good afternoon.