Untold Truths. The Exclusion of Forced Sterilizations from the Final Report of the Peruvian Truth Commission

This article argues that the exclusion of forced sterilization cases from the investigation and Final Report of the Truth Commission effectively erases state responsibility, and significantly reduces the possibilities of justice and reparation for women who are victim-survivors of state-sponsored violence in Peru. In a context of deep cultural and economic divisions and violent conflicts, this article recounts how health providers violated the reproductive rights of Peruvian women by sterilizing low-income Quechua-speaking indigenous women without informed consent, through the State's Family Planning Program. It refutes the reasons put forward by the Commissioners themselves to exclude these cases from the Commission's investigation and Final Report, and also examines the effects of these omissions. Furthermore, this article argues that these systematic reproductive injustices constitute an act of genocide; it proposes an independent investigation and recommends more inclusive investigations and final reports for future truth commissions whose goals include truth, accountability, and justice for all victim-survivors of state-sponsored violence.