We are deeply disappointed with the European Institutions’ decision not to criminalise forced sterilisation under the agreement reached regarding the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Forced sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities is a pervasive human rights violation that leaves survivors traumatised and scarred for life. It is our long-standing demand to ban it, and this directive provided a unique opportunity to do so at the European Union level. The EU has squandered this chance to ensure its citizens are protected from harm. We especially note the unwillingness of several European countries within the Council of the EU to cede to this demand.
We do note that this directive will provide some improvements to the rights of women and girls with disabilities (read footnotes). However, the criminalisation of forced sterilisation across the European Union, together with a consent-based definition of rape, would have vastly improved the lives of countless women and sent the message that the rights of women with disabilities matter.
We especially thank European Parliament negotiators, our members and the several media outlets that raised this issue. We also thank the countries who showed efforts to engage with us and took steps to ban the forced sterilisation of persons with disabilities, in particular Belgium, Malta, Spain and Sweden. We now call on individual EU countries to follow Malta’s latest example and make changes in their national laws. We specifically call on the following countries to change the law:
- Portugal (which also allows the forced sterilisation of minors with disabilities)
- Czechia (which also allows the forced sterilisation of minors with disabilities)
- Hungary (which also allows the forced sterilisation of minors with disabilities)
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Slovakia
Pirkko Mahlamäki, chair of the European Disability Forum’s Women’s Committee said:
It should have been an obvious step to ban such a barbaric practice, to stop women from being sterilised against their will and without their knowledge or consent. States need to act on women with disabilities demands and ensure their rights, rather than make decisions on their behalf!
Footnotes
[1] According to information from the last negotiating round, improvements include: the creation of aggravating circumstances when the crime is committed against a woman or girl with disabilities, guidelines for authorities acting in criminal proceedings including on how to treat victims in a disability-sensitive manner, and accessibility of victims’ services and support for women and girls with disabilities, including personal assistance, as well as targeted preventive measures and information presented in formats accessible for persons with disabilities. Information will be confirmed once the Forum has access to the final text.
Related documents
- European Disability Forum – End Forced Sterilisation in the European Union
- European Womens Lobby “Deal reached on the first EU law on violence against women“
- European Parliament’s Press Release “First ever EU rules on combating violence against women: deal reached“
Contacts
André Félix
Communications Coordinator
Marine Uldry
Human Rights Policy Coordinator
The European Disability Forum is an umbrella organisation of persons with disabilities that defends the interests of 100 million Europeans with disabilities. EDF is a unique platform that brings together representative organisations of persons with disabilities across Europe. It is run by persons with disabilities and their families. EDF is a strong, united voice of persons with disabilities in Europe