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Three HIV-Positive Namibian Women Sterilized Against Their Will?

By Ruth Manuel-Logan on Jun 2nd 2010 11:53AM

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Forcibly sterilizing a woman because she is HIV positive is an extreme violation of her rights. In Namibia, however, three HIV-positive women are battling the government because they claim they were sterilized without giving their consent.


Folks are up in arms about the alleged unlawful sterilization and are rallying around the three unnamed women by staging sit-ins at two Namibian state hospitals on Tuesday.

The three woman are taking legal action and will seek damages from the high court this Friday, and the sit-ins will continue until after the hearing. Never in the history of this southern African country has a case of this nature been brought to a legal forum.

The government denies the women's claims, saying they did, in fact, give their consent to have the procedure done. Despite the protests, governement officials say they plan to take their legal fight all the way.

Protest organizer Vicky Noa spoke to the Associated Press and had this to say about seeking medical care that is impartial in her country:

"There should be peace of mind that if you have HIV, you can still go to the hospital and be treated with dignity and equality," she said. "If we were scared that we might be sterilized, we will not use the hospital services as much. We do not want to be denied the right to motherhood."

HIV-AIDS in Namibia is at an alarming rate. The prevalence of HIV in Namibia is among the highest in the world. Government statistics state that the virus is spread primarily through heterosexual sex. According to UNAIDS, there are about 200,000 people in this sparsely populated country who are HIV-positive. The organization also estimates that women account for 58 percent of all HIV infections.

The transmission of HIV-AIDS from mother to child can be prevented with medication, which is why folks like Veronica Kalambi of the Women's Health Network is incensed about the illegal birth-control practice. Kalambi says that women's rights were often violated in state health institutions:

"HIV-positive women are holding the health system accountable for the wrongs done to them," she told AP.



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