UN concerned about ‘gross human rights violations’ in public hospitals
The United Nations (UN) in
South Africa says its gravely concerned about the violation of basic
human rights in South African public hospitals.
This comes after an investigation by the Commission for Gender Equality found that dozens of HIV-positive pregnant women underwent forced sterilisation and that hospital staff threatened to deny women medical attention if they did not sign the paperwork.
The investigation was launched after two women's rights organisations approached the commission in 2015 with 48 documented cases of coerced sterilisation.
Acting resident coordinator for the UN in South Africa Beatrice Mutali says the torture of women is unacceptable.
"According to the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, forced and/or coerced sterilisation is gross human rights and medical ethics violation," says Mutali.
"It is often described as an act of torture and cruelty, inhuman, and degrading treatment."
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Investigators found that hospital staff threatened to deny women medical attention if they did not sign the paperwork.
Some of the complainants said they were given the forms in moments of "extreme pain" during which they could not fully grasp the content, the report said.
The Department of Health is expected to meet with the CGE to further discuss the findings of the investigation.
Mutali says this is a step in the right direction.
"We are in support of it and we look forward to the outcomes," says Mutali.
"It is important to use whatever comes from that meeting to ensure that in the future, going forward, that we do not have repeated incidents of this nature."