Kenyan Court Orders Government, Hospital to Compensate Sterilised women

Kenyan court has awarded four women living with HIV – who were sterilized without their consent – about 20,000 dollars each as damages.

The judge ruled that the forced sterilization was a violation of their fundamental rights including the right to establish a family.

Last year a court found the medical charities Médecins Sans Frontières, Marie Stopes International and a maternity hospital culpable of coercing the women to undergo the procedure.

While the two charities did not directly carry out sterilizations, the women’s lawyer told the court that they had played a significant role by referring the women to hospital.

The court however dismissed claims against the health minister and the attorney general.

On the continent, allegations of women being sterilized without their consent are common in Kenya, Swaziland, Namibia and South Africa.