Rwanda contemplates passing sterilization bill
The small central African nation of Rwanda is contemplating passing a bill that would allow forcible sterilization of people who are mentally disabled. In addition, the bill would call for forced HIV/AIDS testing before granting marriage certificates.
The proposed law has angered human rights organizations, who call it “deeply flawed” and a “violation of the government’s obligation to uphold human rights” according to the BBC.
Billboard in Rwanda
“Provisions in the current bill that increase stigma, rely on coercion and deny… reproductive rights should be removed,” Human Rights Watch’s Joe Amon said.
Forced sterilization is considered a crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
AIDS in Rwanda
HIV/AIDS in Rwanda heightened significantly after the 1994 genocide that left over 800,000 people dead. As part of the war tactics, many men purposely spread HIV to genocide victims as a punishment for their ethnicity.
According to the World Bank, the prevalence of AIDS in Rwanda was reduced from 11 percent to 3 percent since 2000.
IN 2003, the average life expectancy in Rwanda was 49 years and almost one in six children died before they reach the age of five. Thanks to aggressive initiatives to curb the HIV trend, Rwanda has made a sizeable comeback, holding one of the lowest HIV infection rates in the continent.
Yet, these aggressive campaigns are being scrutinized for their lack of compassion for those living with mental disabilities, as well as their potential ability to highly stigmatize the HIV positive community.
Update
The Rwandan government has now denied they were planning on passing a bill that would allow forcible sterilization of the mentally handicapped.
“Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, deputy speaker of parliament, was responding to a call by US-based activists Human Rights Watch to scrap the proposed law.
He also told the BBC that plans for HIV testing before couples get married are strictly voluntary, not compulsory,” reported the BBC this afternoon.
