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UN Special Rapporteur Maud de Boer-Buquicchio on the sale and sexual exploitation of children has warned that children face becoming commodities as surrogacy arrangements become more prevalent, and urgent action is needed to protect their rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no right to have a child under international law,\u201d said Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, who presented a report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
She said children are not goods or services that the State can guarantee or provide. “They\u2019re human beings with rights.”<\/p>\n
\u201cSurrogacy is a growing industry driven by international demand, making it an area of concern for children\u2019s rights and protection. Commercial surrogacy, as currently practised in some countries, usually amounts to the sale of children.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Special Rapporteur explained that if a surrogate mother or third party receives remuneration or any other consideration for the transfer of the child, a sale occurs, as defined under international human rights law, according to a message UNB received here from Geneva on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Her comments follow several scandals that have highlighted the abuses that can arise through surrogacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an undeniable, urgent need for surrogacy to be regulated,\u201d said de Boer-Buquicchio. \u201cIf nothing is done, abusive commercial surrogacy networks will continue to move from one jurisdiction to another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Children in international surrogacy arrangements are at a particular risk, and States must protect them despite the different jurisdictions involved and ensure that they are not subjected to discrimination, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best interests of the child need to be at the heart of any decision taken in respect to parentage and parental responsibility decisions,\u201d de Boer-Buquicchio added.<\/p>\n
Courts or other competent authorities should be involved in such determinations, as private contracts generally do not provide sufficient human rights safeguards.<\/p>\n
The Special Rapporteur also highlighted concerns over intending parents from wealthy States engaging surrogate mothers in developing States, which have weak institutions and regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis practice entails power imbalances and increases the vulnerability of the children and surrogate mothers to various forms of exploitation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAltruistic surrogacy must also be appropriately regulated in order to prevent the sale of children,\u201d said de Boer-Buquicchio.<\/p>\n
All reimbursements and payments for the medical costs of surrogate mothers should be reasonable and reviewed by courts or other competent authorities.<\/p>\n
With several countries across the world currently reviewing their policies on surrogacy, the independent expert called on States to support initiatives for international regulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegulation based on human rights principles is essential, and can also inform national authorities as they grapple with the challenges raised by surrogacy,\u201d said de Boer-Buquicchio.UNB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UN Special Rapporteur Maud de Boer-Buquicchio on the sale and sexual exploitation of children has warned that children face becoming commodities as surrogacy arrangements become more prevalent, and urgent action is needed to protect their rights. \u201cThere\u2019s no right to have a child under international law,\u201d said Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, who presented a report to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":41966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n