How Babies Are Being Sold on Facebook

In the Philippines, there is a thriving black market that sells babies. Many women who are living below the poverty line and cannot afford to raise a child are making the difficult decision to sell their babies. Natashya Gutierrez for VICE World News speaks to mothers and brokers to understand how this trade works.


Connect with VICE Asia:

[rei_tan]

I pray that the babies grow up alright. You never know what the buyer actually wants to do with the baby. This is so disturbing.

[cindyramos]

It really angered me that the doctor denied her ligation. It wasn't his choice to make. Now he put her in this terrible position

[Stiasteny]

As an adoption child from China, this gives me shivers. One of my biggest fears is to get kidnapped, to get put into human trafficking circumstances, to be sold as a human slave and to live years and years in someone's basement with no food, water or freedom.

I honestly reflected so much on it since childhood. About the fact that it could have gone REALLY wrong if I was adopted by the wrong people. Or that my parents sold me to "parents" who were actually the face of a trafficking corporation.

Luckely I've gone to a good family through legal adoption, who have given me so many opportunities. They couldn't get kids themselves so they resorted to taking care of 2 adoption kids and 1 foster kid. I owe them so much.

PS: I don't know my birth parents. My adoption mom told me that the adoption agency told her that they found me under a bridge. And that someone took me to a home. I don't know if that is true though, because they could have made something up. What I do know is that there was a one child policy in China at that time. In the end, I am thankful for getting adopted legally and safely.

[_ysai]

Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon. Many babies in the Philippines are sold. My cousin was actually an ampon. Her mother was very young and couldn’t take care of her, so she was sold off to my Tito and Tita. They couldn’t have children of their own. Luckily, they’re very loving and decent people, so she got the love she deserved, but unfortunately, many babies aren’t so lucky. My cousin is now married and expecting her own child

[PriusRaj]

This is what happens when you make contraceptives basically impossible to access.

They better fix this fast before they see having kids = making money.

[ItsDanny]

It really makes me upset when women ask to get their tubes tied and they are told. They are too young or can still have children. Let the woman make the decision. Especially if she is in severe poverty

[fulanichild]

It is criminal for a doctor to refuse to do a tubal ligation on a poverty stricken woman who already has 3 kids.

[stephanielumina]

The poverty and her decision denied by her doctor is disturbing and heartbreaking.

[NJVL]

When a woman tells you she doesn't want to have kids believe her. We need to stop pregnancy BEFORE it happens.

[KarenSundays]

This is disturbing and heartbreaking! Poverty and corruption is so rampant in the Philippines and the children become so vulnerable to these illegal activities 🥺

[justarandompotterhead]

The fact that she chose to be responsible and have a ligation but the doctor denied her!

[Panamenya]

The doctor who denied her the tubal ligation knowing she's living with three children in a tricycle is a MONSTER.

[strictlykev]

Facebook should have a legal responsibility to have enough employees to regulate their platform in other countries

[xxsnowninja]

This is the cruel reality of what happens to unwanted pregnancies.

[rustyshackleford]

Olivia’s husband had just enough asthma to keep him sexually active to get her pregnant but too much asthma to work??

[jiandraalda]

I admit I was wrong to think one-sidedly about marginalized couples, especially the women, not opting for Family Planning. To hear this statement from the doctor who refused to allow the woman to get ligation is beyond comprehension to me. The patient WANTED to stop her pregnancy because of her current circumstance but another authority tells her she might want kids again??? That's messed up!

Yes, the reproductive health here in the Philippines is crazy. I went to my LGU's health center last year to express my desire of getting implants. I was denied for it. I would have understand that the implants were free but limited. They said that they'd prioritized other "less fortunate" women. Alright.

But the healthcare worker had to add and remark (non verbatim), "Your intention is questionable. You have no children, no partner, not active, yet you want to get one? You'll change your mind soon enough, in less than a year, I bet."

I swore I was flaring at her. Told her that there'd be no changing my mind and I know how long the implants had to stay in me. I researched it. I studied it. And I wanted to feel safe. I WANTED SAFETY.

The healthcare worker was IMPOSING her ideologies on me. Told me that I should opt for pills and condoms instead. I replied by saying I don't feel safe with the other two options. The last part of this unbelievable interaction was she said that if I began being "active" and have had physical relations, I could come back to "try and get the implants again."

WHAT THE Tanginang yan.

[dodoextinct]

95 USD for a child's life. This makes me sad

[beverly]

Im from the philippines. I've never actually heard of mothers selling their children on facebook. In my area, they straight up leave their children to relatives and never return.

Poverty striken country, inacessible contraceptives, and a corrupt government pushes people to do disturbing choices in order to survive.

[rezaadara]

I volunteered in an orphanage for several times. The abandoment issues are real. You will keep asking whether you are good enough or not when your parents don't want you.

[rachealballiu]

Doctors need to stop refusing women sterilization.