聯合國愛滋病規劃署歡迎肯亞高等法院具有里程碑意義
對感染愛滋病毒婦女非自願絕育的案件作出判決
日內瓦,2022 年 12 月 20 日——聯合國愛滋病規劃署對肯亞高等法院在內羅畢的判決表示歡迎,該判決承認強迫感染愛滋病毒的婦女絕育是對其人權的侵犯。
該判決是在 2014 年一名感染愛滋病毒的肯亞婦女提出的案件之後作出的,該婦女在衛生機構的專業人員的脅迫下接受輸卵管結紮術,從而剝奪了她生育孩子的能力。高等法院裁定,未經同意就進行這項手術構成侵犯了她不受歧視、尊嚴、健康和家庭的權利。
聯合國愛滋病規劃署執行主任 Winnie Byanyima 說:「這一決定是保護感染愛滋病毒的婦女的性健康和生殖健康及權利的重要一步」。「聯合國愛滋病規劃署隨時準備與所有政府合作,以確保徹底消除這種做法,並確保感染愛滋病毒的婦女能夠不受污名或歧視地獲得醫療服務」。
聯合國愛滋病規劃署透過法庭之友(法庭之友)介入此案,向肯亞高等法院通報了每個國家必須遵守的健康準則和人權標準,以尊重、保護和保障愛滋病毒感染者的人權, 以及此類非自願行為可能對愛滋病毒應對措施產生的影響。肯亞愛滋病毒/愛滋病法律和倫理問題網絡 (KELIN) 和非洲性別與媒體倡議信託基金 (GEM) 也是本案的請願人。
與 HIV 相關的污名和歧視對 HIV 感染者或處於感染風險中的人的健康、生活和福祉具有重大影響。恥辱和歧視透過限制獲得更廣泛的性健康和生殖健康以及其他健康服務來阻礙愛滋病毒應對。 聯合國愛滋病規劃署每天持續地努力以確保政府投資於預防和應對與愛滋病毒感染者遭受交叉歧視形式相關的侵權行為。
該案的原告說:「這絕不是錢的問題。我想為自己和所有有過這種經歷的女性爭取正義,並確保這種情況不會發生在其他需要獲得生殖健康服務的感染愛滋病毒的女性身上」。
「此案是生殖正義和女權運動的重要時刻。強制感染愛滋病毒的婦女絕育是對婦女最基本人權的侵犯,破壞了有效的愛滋病毒應對措施」,聯合國愛滋病規劃署肯亞國家主任 Medhin Tsehaiu 說。 「只有透過人權方法,我們才能終結愛滋病這一公共衛生威脅」。
基於權利的方法包括組建家庭和生育孩子的權利、決定孩子數量和生育間隔的權利、生殖自主權和獲得優質服務以支持其生殖健康選擇的權利,基於他們的選擇、知情、安全和自願的同意。這些是屬於所有婦女的基本人權,無論其愛滋病毒感染狀況如何,並在全球和區域條約中得到保障。
肯亞愛滋病毒/愛滋病法律和倫理問題網絡 (KELIN)執行董事 Allan Maleche 說:「我們歡迎法院的裁決,儘管花了很長時間,但我們很高興法院裁定客戶的權利受到侵犯,尤其是裁定基於性別和 HIV 狀況的歧視」。
《2021-2026 年全球愛滋病戰略:消除不平等,消除愛滋病》包括在促進人權、性別平等和尊嚴方面發揮核心作用,使所有愛滋病毒感染者和受其影響的人免於污名化和歧視。這是聯合國愛滋病規劃署對消除性別不平等和實現包括健康權在內的人權的雄心勃勃願景的承諾,呼籲所有國家愛滋病毒應對工作中的所有合作夥伴和利益相關者,改變不平等的性別規範並結束恥辱和歧視。
UNAIDS welcomes Kenya’s High Court judgement in landmark case of involuntary sterilization of women living with HIV
GENEVA, 20 December 2022—UNAIDS welcomes the judgement by the High Court of Kenya at Nairobi recognizing that coerced sterilization of women living with HIV is a violation of their human rights.
The judgement follows a case brought forward in 2014 by a Kenyan woman living with HIV who was coerced by professionals at a health facility to undergo tubal ligation thus taking away her ability to have children. The High Court found that the performance of this operation without consent amounted to a violation of her rights to non-discrimination, to dignity, to health and to family.
“This decision is an important step in protecting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “UNAIDS stands ready to work with all governments to ensure such practices are eliminated completely and that women living with HIV are able to access health services without stigma or discrimination.”
UNAIDS intervened in this case with an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief that informed the Kenyan High Court on the health guidelines and human rights standards that each country must follow to respect, protect and guarantee the human rights of people living with HIV, and the impact that such involuntary practices can have on the HIV response. The Kenyan Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV/AIDS (KELIN) and the African Gender and Media Initiatives Trust (GEM) were also petitioners in this case.
HIV-related stigma and discrimination has a significant impact on the health, lives and well-being of people living with or at risk of HIV. Stigma and discrimination hinders the HIV response by limiting access to broader sexual and reproductive health and other health services. UNAIDS continues to work daily to ensure that governments invest in preventing and responding to violations linked to the forms of intersectional discrimination to which people living with HIV have been subjected.
The plaintiff in the case stated, “This was never about the money. I wanted to fight for justice for myself and all women who have had this experience, and to ensure this does not happen to other women who are living with HIV who need access to reproductive health services.”
“This case is an important moment for reproductive justice and the feminist movement. Coercive sterilization of women living with HIV is a violation of women’s most fundamental human rights and undermines effective HIV responses,” said UNAIDS Country Director for Kenya, Medhin Tsehaiu. “It is only through a human rights approach that we will end AIDS as a public health threat.”
A rights-based approach includes the right to start a family and have children, the right to decide the number and spacing of their children, the right to reproductive autonomy and the right to access quality services to support their reproductive health choices, based on their informed, safe and voluntary consent. These are fundamental human rights that belong to all women, regardless of HIV status, and are guaranteed in global and regional treaties.
“We welcome the court’s decision and although it took a long time, we are happy that the court found the client’s rights had been violated, and particularly the finding of discrimination on the basis of sex and HIV status,” said Allan Maleche, Executive Director, KELIN.
The Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026: End Inequalities, End AIDS includes a central role for the promotion of human rights, gender equality and dignity, free from stigma and discrimination for all people living with and affected by HIV. It is a commitment by UNAIDS to an ambitious vision to end gender inequalities and realize human rights, including the right to health, calling on all partners and stakeholders in the HIV response in all countries to transform unequal gender norms and end stigma and discrimination.