The United Nations committee on the elimination of discrimination against women has urged Peru to compensate women who were forcibly sterilised in the 1990s, ruling that the state policy could constitute a “crime against humanity”. The forced sterilisation programme was implemented by Peru’s former president Alberto Fujimori in the final four years of his presidency. The committee found that hundreds of thousands of people were affected by the programme.
The committee issued its findings after reviewing a joint complaint filed by five victims who were forcibly sterilised between 1996 and 1997. These victims claimed that the forced sterilisations had severe and permanent consequences for their physical and mental health. The experts criticized Peru for failing to properly investigate the violations and compensate the victims, urging the country to implement a comprehensive reparation programme for the victims.
The women described being coerced, pressured, or deceived into undergoing sterilisations at clinics lacking proper infrastructure or trained personnel. The committee described the case of one victim who was stopped on the street by medical practitioners and forcibly sterilised without her consent. The committee concluded that the programme constituted “sex-based violence against women”.
While Peru argued that the sterilisation programme was part of a broader reproductive health policy, the experts noted that a significantly higher number of women were forcibly sterilised compared to men. The committee’s opinions and recommendations are not enforceable, but they serve as a strong condemnation of Peru’s actions during this time period.
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