CAIRO: Nine Egyptians and two American women were arrested by Egyptian authorities for allegedly trying to sell four babies, according to the Ministry of Interior. A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Mohamed Imam, told Daily News Egypt that all 11 suspects are being held in Egypt. Currently, the 11 alleged suspects are "waiting for their trial date to be announced. However, the ministry's press center said that there is very little information on the whereabouts of the 11 suspects. Security sources told Reuters this week that four doctors, two nurses, a tour guide, and two American women were involved in a plot to sell four Egyptian babies. A boy baby would be offered at the price of LE 25,000 and a girl baby for LE 20,000. The US Embassy told Reuters they observed suspicious activity when one of the American women visited the embassy and alerted authorities. It didn't give further details about what those suspicious activities were. "We are aware of this investigation and it is led by the Egyptian authorities. We are cooperating fully, a US embassy official told Reuters. The Egyptian constitution prohibits foreigners from adopting Egyptian children. Religious and social restrictions forbid giving adopted orphans the name of the new parents. The incident comes amid reports criticizing Egypt for human trafficking. According to reports released last summer by the US State Department, Egypt has been labeled a "transit state because of the country's alleged participation in human trafficking and illegal sex trade. "Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, and other Eastern European countries to Israel for sexual exploitation, said the report. The report also cited that children are also smuggled, through Egypt, into other countries in Eastern Europe and Israel to be sexually exploited. The report alleges that Egypt is acting as a bridge to send female sex workers to other parts of the Middle East including the Gulf and Israel. The US State Department's report comes amidst efforts by Egyptian law enforcement authorities to crack down on local human traffickers. The US State Department study cited some minor improvements in Egypt's human trafficking situation when state-run TV aired United Nations' announcements urging Egyptians to put a stop to human trafficking. However, the report still holds the government responsible for failing to conduct any serious attempts to curb sex commerce in Egypt and recommends stronger law enforcement.
