南アフリカ、ＨＩＶ陽性の女性に強制不妊手術　「人権侵害」と報告書指摘

【ヨハネスブルクＡＦＰ＝時事】南アフリカで2002年から2015年にかけ、エイズウイルス（HIV）陽性の妊婦らに対して強制不妊手術が行われていたとの調査報告書が発表された。手術は出産後に行われていたといい、調査に関わった同国のジェンダー平等委員会（CGE）は、女性らの人権が侵害されたとして政府に対応を求めている。（写真は資料写真）
　報告書が公表されたのは２４日。調査は二つの女性団体が２０１５年に強制的な不妊手術が認められた事例４８件をＣＧＥに申し立てた後、実施された。
　ＣＧＥのケケツォ・マエマ代表は報告書の中で、「告発した女性はすべて黒人で、大半がＨＩＶ陽性だった」と指摘。また「女性たちは出産直前に書面に署名するよう強制され、それが不妊手術を病院側に許可する同意書だったらしいことが後になって分かった」と説明している。
　さらに、女性が書面に署名しなかった場合、病院のスタッフは治療を拒否すると脅迫していたことも調査で発覚。内容を完全に把握できないほどの激痛に見舞われている時に書面を渡された、と訴えている人もいるという。
　被害を訴えている女性は皆、帝王切開で出産した。多くが二度と妊娠できないと知ってうつ状態となり、パートナーに見捨てられた女性もいた。
　ＣＧＥは、被害女性らが人権を侵害され、「屈辱的な扱い」を受けたと断定し、治療の義務の不履行で医療スタッフを非難している。また報告書は保健省にも提出され、政府に不妊手術に関する書面手続きを見直すよう勧告している。
　保健省に報告書に対する見解を求めたが、回答を得ることはできなかった。
　政府の統計によると、南アフリカのＨＩＶ感染者は２００２年には約４６４万人だったが、２０１９年には全人口の１３．５％に当たる７９７万人まで増加している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/02/27-08:54）

A South African inquiry into the forced sterilisation of dozens of HIV-positive pregnant women said Monday that their rights had been breached, and called for government action.
The investigation was launched after two women's rights organisations approached South Africa's Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) in 2015 with 48 documented cases of coerced sterilisation.
CGE obtained sworn affidavits from the complainants on the alleged procedures.
All the women who had lodged the complaint were black women who were mostly HIV positive, CGE head Keketso Maema said in the report released on Monday on its inquiry.
Just before giving birth... they were coerced or forced to sign forms that they later learnt through various means were consent forms allegedly permitting the hospital to sterilise them.
The documented incidents took place between 2002 and 2015.
Investigators found that hospital staff threatened to deny women medical attention if they did not sign the paperwork.
Some of the complainants said they were given the forms in moments of extreme pain during which they could not fully grasp the content, the report said.
All of the women gave birth through caesarean section. Many fell into depression after finding out that they could no longer conceive, and some have been left by their partners.
- 'Don't ask questions'' -
One victim told investigators she only found out her fallopian tubes had been cut a few years after giving birth, when she went to a private doctor to enquire about her lack of fertility.
At the time, she was kept in hospital for an unusually long period to treat an infected caesarean wound.
She... was never told what exactly had happened to her, the report said, quoting the affidavit.
Another complainant was asked to sign forms and when she asked the nurse what they were for, she said the nurse replied: 'You HIV people don't ask questions when you make babies.
Why are you asking questions now, you must be closed up because you HIV people like making babies and it just annoys us. Just sign the forms, so you can go to theatre?.
The commission concluded that the women suffered several rights violations and were subjected to degrading treatment.
It also accused medical staff of breaching their duty of care.
The report, which has been sent to the health ministry, advises the government to review sterilisation paperwork.
A cooling-off period between the signing of consent forms and the operation itself was also recommended.
The health ministry's spokesman did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
The total number of people living with HIV in South Africa increased to 7.97 million in 2019 from around 4.64 million in 2002, according to government statistics.
Around 13.5 percent of the total population was found to be HIV positive last year.