Foreign Journos Pry Into Forced Sterilisation Case
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Kahijoro Kahuure, yesterday told New Era the scribes are illegally conducting such work in the country without permission from the relevant authorities.“I am told they have already started interviews and tomorrow they will be at our hospitals. They are carrying sophisticated cameras,
I just want people to be on the alert,” the permanent secretary said.Indicating that the ministry does not intend to bar foreign journalists from doing whatever work provided they are accredited, Kahuure says information regarding patients is at all times regarded as confidential.New Era is reliably informed that it is an ETV crew that is in the country to follow up on the sterilisation cases.
The story appears to be of interest as the case has a regional dimension to it.Immigration officials are on alert.The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), a human rights legal entity is representing the women who were allegedly sterilised at public health institutions without their informed consent because of their HIV status over the years.Director of LAC, Norman Tjombe, said he was not aware of any foreign journalists who would be in the country to follow up on the cases.
The LAC has issued summonses in eight of the cases, but other clients cannot be traced because they either have moved or gave outdated contact information.He said the LAC wants the Government to compensate its clients for subjecting them to sterilisation without informed consent.Sterilisation is rendering a person or an organism infertile. It is a form of contraception that dates back 4 000 years ago.
The problem seems to be in other countries as well, even though no research has been conducted to determine its existence.The Zambia Legal Resource Forum has also received complaints from HIV-positive women who have undergone forced sterilisation and even abortion.
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