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 prospects for justice and reparation for female 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 for excluding 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 calls for 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. Addressing these systematic violations of the fundamental human rights of Peruvian women is particularly important today, as the State prosecutes former President Alberto Kenya Fujimori, a participant in and alleged perpetrator of acts and omissions violating the fundamental human rights of Peruvians during the internal armed conflict. The leaders responsible for the forced sterilization of more than 200,000 Peruvian women, including Fujimori, must be held accountable for past violations in order to fully achieve future reconciliation and justice in Peru.