Reem Alsalem, the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, condemned surrogacy as a form of “violence” against women and children during a UN event in New York last week.
During the Oct. 8 event, which was co-organized by the Italian government, Alsalem said surrogacy “is clearly responsible for inflicting large-scale violence, abuse, and exploitation on women and children.”
She urged the international community to expose the industry’s abuses and amplify voices of women harmed by surrogacy.
“The media must assume a role in educating on the harms of surrogacy, must raise awareness of society about the criminal responsibilities of engaging in surrogacy,” she said, later adding, “We need to get more testimonies so that wider society is more aware of the harm.”
Her comments came as she prepared to present her landmark report on surrogacy to the UN General Assembly on Oct. 10, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International reported in an Oct. 8 press release.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Alsalem’s report – “The different manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy” – examines how surrogacy contributes to violence against women and children and violates fundamental human rights.
The report warns that surrogacy intentionally separates children from their mothers, undermining natural maternal bonds. Even “altruistic” arrangements, it argues, treat human life as a commercial product.
“An inherent concern in surrogacy lies in the contractual programming of separation between a woman and the child that she carries, which risks treating the child as a passive object of an agreement between adults or as a commodity,” the report states.
The report calls on UN member states to prohibit all forms of surrogacy; penalize buyers, clinics, and agencies involved in the practice; and ensure protection for women and children already affected by surrogacy arrangements.
Alsalem’s report also highlights the growing scale of the global surrogacy market — valued at $14.4 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $96.6 billion by 2033. Most profits, the report says, flow to agencies and brokers, while surrogate mothers face serious physical, emotional, and financial risks.
According to the report, women in surrogacy arrangements experience higher rates of pregnancy complications, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder and often endure coercion, exploitation, and invasive medical procedures.
In 2024, Italy became the first nation to ban surrogacy both domestically and abroad, according to ADF International. Slovakia reportedly followed last month by passing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the practice.
ADF International has expressed its firm support for a ban on the practice of surrogacy. It said it has joined more than 180 nongovernmental organizations in signing a letter supporting Alsalem’s report.
“Surrogacy rests on a system of violence that dehumanizes women and children alike. States need to develop a coordinated international response to end the grave human rights violations inherent in this practice,” Giorgio Mazzoli, director of UN advocacy at ADF International, said. “We commend the Special Rapporteur for exposing the harms of this exploitative industry and urge governments around the world to united in ending surrogacy in all its forms at all levels, including through the adoption of a UN treaty banning the practice globally.”
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