JOHANNESBURG – The United Nations (UN) said it was concerned by revelations of forced sterilisation at South Africa’s public hospitals.
The Commission for Gender Equality released a report this week, which looked at over 37 cases in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
There were now growing concerns as it seemed that this crime was more widespread than initially thought.
Five hospitals were implicated in Gauteng alone.
The UN said forced or coerced sterilisation was a gross human rights and medical ethics violation that constituted as an act of torture and cruelty.
It welcomed the Health Department’s decision to meet with the Commission for Gender Equality to further discuss the investigation’s findings and recommendations.