Forced sterilisations against HIV positive women must end
JOBURG - NEW research highlighting widespread forced sterilisation reinforces the importance of a formal complaint to South Africa’s Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), to end the human rights violation.
This according to Her Rights Initiative organisation (HRI) director Sethembiso Mthembu,who commented on the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) research for the South African National Aids Council Stigma Index which found that almost 500 women surveyed were sterilised against their will.
Mthembu said, “This new research highlights that this practice is widespread. It requires a systematic response from the health department. We must ensure that government is held accountable and take action to ensure that health workers do not continue this practice.”
In march, HRI and International Community of Women (ICW) (South Africa) supported by Oxfam and the Women’s Legal Centre (WLC), lodged a formal complaint with the CGE to protest the ongoing forced/coerced sterilisation of women living with HIV in South Africa.
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The complaint regarding the nature of forced or coerced sterilisation of women living with HIV was based on information compiled from community work with women living with HIV, a qualitative study completed during 2011 and a media campaign undertaken during last year.
Currently HRI, ICWSA and WLC have documented 48 cases in which women claim they were forced or coerced into being sterilised simply because they were HIV-positive.
The latest research contained in the South African National Aids Council Stigma Index was compiled after 10 473 people living with HIV in 18 districts across the country were interviewed to determine the level of stigma and discrimination against people with HIV. The report notes that most respondents, 87 percent, indicated that health care professionals didn’t discourage them from having children.
However, 7 percent of respondents, a total of 498, reported that they were forced to be sterilised. A total of 498 of the 6 719 women in the sample said they had been forcibly sterilised because of their HIV status. The highest percentage of forced sterilisation took place in Eden in Western Cape (22 percent), Buffalo City in Eastern Cape (20 percent) and Sedibeng in Gauteng (19 percent).
“The impact of forced sterilisation cannot be underestimated. Women affected face the dual stigma of being HIV-positive and being unable to bear children,” Mthembu said.
Mthembu urged the department of health to take immediate action.
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