In a shocking revelation, it has been announced by a judge in Namibia that three HIV positive women were sterilized without giving their consent. However, it is yet to be established if this was done because of their HIV positive status.
While officials have denied any forceful act in this case, it has been claimed that this is not for the first time that such a case has come to picture. The affected women have demanded a meaty compensation of 2,000 (£78,000) each, thereby justifying the mental and physical trauma they have faced.
It was later claimed by the lawyers of the women that these women were told that for them to qualify for surgery, they would have to get themselves sterilized as well. While the health ministry too admitted that though there is a directivethat allows HIV-positive women to be sterilized, informed consent is a must which in this case, appears to be totally played with.
“This decision is a significant victory for HIV-positive women in Namibia”, said Nicole Fritz, from the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), while asserting that there are a lot many such cases where women are being sterilised without their informed consent.
With the news getting the deserving attention, it is expected that there might be justice served to many such women in the time to come too.
http://www.frenchtribune.com/teneur/1212570-three-hiv-positive-women-coerced-sterilization
