Phnom Penh: A Cambodian court has charged 18 people, including 11 pregnant women, with violating laws against surrogate births.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Ly Sophana said the 11 women and four other people were charged with surrogacy and human trafficking. Three more people were charged with conspiracy but did not appear.

A group of woman in police custody in Cambodia after being arrested for alleged surrogacy. Credit:AP

The suspects were arrested last week in a police raid and charged under a law that specifically targets surrogacy, which was outlawed in 2016 after Cambodia became a popular destination for foreigners seeking women to give birth to their children.

Acting as an intermediary between an adoptive parent and a pregnant woman carries a penalty of one to six months in prison in Cambodia. The human trafficking offense is punishable by seven to 15 years' imprisonment.