On Thursday 22 September the European Disability Forum (EDF) published a report on current European legislation relating to the forced sterilisation of people with disabilities. While, according to the study, 14 Member States still allow it in some form, the association calls on the European Commission to impose a total ban in the EU.
Forced sterilisation is prohibited in various international treaties, including the Istanbul Convention and the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Yet only nine European countries criminalise it, the study says. In contrast, 14 countries still allow a parent, legal representative, administrator or doctor to consent to the sterilisation of people with disabilities. Portuguese, Czech and Hungarian laws even allow the sterilisation of minors. The study also points out that women are more likely to be targeted.
“It is unconceivable that (...) a practice that has harmed countless people is still legal. EU leaders like to say they are human rights champions – they must prove it by banning forced sterilisation now”, said Ana Peláez Narváez, Secretary-General of EDF and Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
EDF is proposing a series of amendments to the draft directive presented by the Commission last March to combat violence against women and domestic violence (see EUROPE 12906/14). In particular, the association calls for the introduction of a specific article criminalising forced sterilisation. Furthermore, it calls for the framework established in the 2012 Victims’ Rights Directive to be strengthened to improve access to shelters and training for professionals.
Finally, EDF believes that Member States should refine the data collected on people with disabilities to better reflect the specific situations of marginalised groups.
View the study: https://aeur.eu/f/37x
See the proposed amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/37z (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)