Violencia ejercida contra mujeres y niñas con discapacidad mediante la esterilización forzosauna situación de derechos humanos

Abstract

Violence against women and girls with disabilities is one of the most systematic and widespread human rights violations worldwide, one of its many manifestations being forced sterilization. The scarce information on the health of this group, in particular on their sexual and reproductive health, the little visibility and recognition of the practice, with a global context of androcentric science that has made women and issues related to their health invisible, have generated a knowledge gap on this problem. The above reveals the urgency of research on the subject, because despite being condemned by international agreements, it continues to be applied worldwide, as is the case in Chile and Spain. This research analyses the current situation of violence exercised through forced sterilization of women and girls with disabilities, from the perspective of representative women of Chile and Spain, with the purpose of contributing to a better understanding of the phenomenon, formulating mechanisms for the prevention of the practice and seeking strategies for the empowerment of vulnerable women and girls. The study is approached from a mixed research methodology. From a qualitative - quantitative and bibliometric perspective, it shows the state of the art in this field over 20 years of study. From a qualitative viewpoint, through the stories of women linked to the practice, a general panorama of the situation in Chile and Spain was evidenced and analyzed. And, from a qualitative comparative approach, the situation observed between the countries studied was compared. It concludes that the current situation of forced sterilization practice in the contexts studied is fully valid. From the scientific literature it is distinguished as a form of violation of human rights, although it stands out for being considered a form of violence against women with disabilities with little social or scientific recognition. In Chile and Spain, women and girls with disabilities are seen as the focus of multiple types of violence and systematic intersectional discrimination related to their sexual and reproductive health. It can be seen that a series of measures have been imposed on them to ensure that their sexuality and reproduction are appropriated by State policies, an element that has deepened the dynamics of exclusion of this group. The lack of political-social recognition, as subjects of rights, has generated their scarce visibility and abandonment. Various social institutions responsible for the domination and oppression of the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls with disabilities act as a mechanism for maintaining and reinforcing patriarchy, reproducing systems of social inequality and apartheid. A series of proposals for the prevention of the practice and strategies for the empowerment of these women and girls are formulated. This thesis has contributed with the essential purpose of deepening and giving visibility to this type of violence against women and being a substantive contribution in the progress towards its eradication. This work seeks to be a contribution to critical studies of disability, disability feminism and women's health.