The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has released a report urging member states to advance toward the global abolition of surrogacy.
The document, titled “The different manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy,” states that this practice is characterized by exploitation and violence against women and children, whom it objectifies and treats as commodities, making it akin to slavery.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, sent the document to the members of the General Assembly on July 14, and it may be debated at the next session to be held from September 9 to 29. The text was made public on August 22.
Among its recommendations, the Alsalem Report proposes the adoption of a legally binding international instrument prohibiting all forms of surrogacy and suggests applying a regulatory model inspired by the Scandinavian approach to prostitution: criminalizing promoters and clients, clinics, agencies, and intermediaries, and decriminalizing women who have been surrogate mothers.
A very lucrative market
The report by the senior UN official denounces that surrogacy fuels a multimillion-dollar market at the expense of women in vulnerable situations.
The global surrogacy market, valued at nearly $15 billion in 2023, could reach $100 billion by 2033, according to estimates included in the report. Most of the money remains in the hands of operators and intermediaries, while only a small fraction reaches the surrogate mothers, the vast majority of whom come from impoverished regions.
Alsalem listened to the testimonies of women who have been “surrogate mothers,” as well as authorities, organizations, and companies that have documented the processes of surrogacy. There are records of how women and children are identified by codes and classified as “high quality” or “low quality” products based on their characteristics.
There are also reports of selective abortions that discard babies who do not meet the requirements of the contracting parents, for example, the sex of the child, their health, or the presence of a disability, confirming that children are clearly treated as commodities for sale.
The Alsalem Report gathered information from 120 statements from supporters and opponents of surrogacy, received in an open consultation process, and from 78 experts consulted online.
A historic breakthrough
The international coalition Casablanca Declaration, which brings together experts and associations from more than 80 countries, hailed the report as a historic breakthrough.
“This is an unprecedented recognition at the highest international level: surrogacy is not an act of love but a form of violence and exploitation. This historic report paves the way towards its global prohibition,” said Olivia Maurel, born through surrogacy, spokesperson for the group.
The initiative is in line with recent measures taken by the Italian Parliament, which passed a law in October 2024 that considers surrogacy a universal crime. In January of that same year, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament reached an agreement to include surrogacy as a form of exploitation in the Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings.
