Jerusalem, 6 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Unit for Coordinating the Fight Against Human Trafficking and Prostitution at Israel’s Just Ministry brought to the attention of the public considering using child surrogacy procedures in Ukraine, important information and a warning regarding the concerns arising from the procedures performed in that country.
The Unit monitors the patterns of conduct in surrogacy procedures outside of Israel, and conducts an assessment whenever indications arise that raise concerns about defects in the informed consent and free will of the surrogate mothers, and even their exploitation. In extreme cases, when these are serious and cumulative indications, it is even possible to indicate a concern about the existence of various criminal offenses, including human trafficking.
Among other things, the following indications were observed in Ukraine: cases of severe violence against the surrogate women, exploitation of particularly vulnerable women, bringing foreign women to Ukraine solely for the purpose of carrying out these procedures, stipulations Draconian surrogacy agreements that violate the rights of the surrogate and ignore the ongoing war in the region, as well as non-payment for the procedure.
In light of the above, the recommendation of the Coordination Unit for Combating Human Trafficking is to refrain from performing surrogacy procedures in Ukraine at this stage , in order to prevent harm and damage to the surrogate mothers, the intended parents and the newborn babies, and to prevent difficulties and problems in legal proceedings down the road.