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Submission to UN on Coerced Sterilizations
August 19th 2009, at 10:58 AM

Tags: Namibia, sterilization, HIV, women's rights, sexual rights, reproductive rights

We, along with the ICW, Center for Reproductive Rights and a number of other organizations just submitted a letter to the UN Special Rapporteurs on Health, Violence Against Women, and Torture informing them of the practice of coerced sterilization of HIV positive women happening in Namibia and also asking them to urge the Namibian government to to take urgent action to halt the involuntary sterilization of women living with HIV and to address the broader problem of discrimination against HIV-positive women.

In addition, there are six cases of HIV positive women who were allegedly sterilized with their informed consent set to go to trial in Namibia at the end of October and November. Three cases will be heard from 20-23 October; while the other three will be heard from 24-27 November. The Legal Assistance Centre, who is representing the women with assistance from us and the ICW, expects to file more cases.

Let's hope all of the great advocacy work being done by a wide-ranging coalition stops this practice from continuing in Namibia and acts as a deterrence to others in the region.