100 women kept as slaves on "human egg farm" in Georgia, forced into egg trafficking

Three Thai women escaped a human egg farm in Georgia, exposing a trafficking ring involving 100 women.

A horrific human trafficking operation has been exposed after three Thai women escaped a “human egg farm” in Georgia, where they were held captive, forcibly injected with hormones, and had their eggs extracted for black-market IVF sales.

The victims, lured through fake surrogate job offers on Facebook, were promised 400,000 to 600,000 baht to carry children for childless couples. However, upon arrival, they were imprisoned with up to 100 other women and subjected to non-consensual medical procedures.

One survivor recounted: “They took us to a house where there were 60 to 70 Thai women. There were no surrogacy contracts or parents. Women were injected with hormones, anesthetized, and their eggs extracted by machine every month.”

Photo: The Nation

Many victims received no payment, and those who tried to leave were forced to pay a ransom to buy their freedom.

The Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, working with Interpol and Thai authorities, rescued three women on January 30, after another victim bought her freedom and contacted Thai activist Pavena Hongsakula. 

However, it remains unclear how many women are still imprisoned on the illegal farm.. The foundation reports that 257 Thai women fell victim to human trafficking in 2024, with 204 taken abroad.

A livestreamed press conference showed the survivors—wearing masks and protective clothing to conceal their identities—describing their ordeal.

According to Diana Thomas, CEO of The World Egg and Sperm Bank, trafficked eggs are often falsely marketed to Western buyers as being from educated, middle-class women to ease ethical concerns.

“It’s all a lie. They manipulate donor profiles so customers don’t feel guilty about using eggs from poor, abused women.”

The case highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to combat human trafficking and illegal egg harvesting, as authorities continue working to rescue the remaining victims.