health
March 6, 2026
Peruvian state responsible for mother's death in forced sterilisation, court rules
Landmark ruling in Celia Ramos case finds 310,000 women, most Indigenous, were targeted in brutal 1990s campaign
TL;DR
- The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruled Peru responsible for the death of Celia Ramos, who died in 1997 following coerced sterilization.
- This is the first ruling concerning Peru's forced sterilization program (1996-2000) which disproportionately affected poor, rural, and Indigenous women.
- The court found the Peruvian state responsible for violating Ramos's rights to life, health, personal integrity, family, access to information, and equality.
- Ramos underwent sterilization in a makeshift facility lacking proper equipment, leading to a severe allergic reaction and her death 19 days later.
- The state was also held responsible for delays in investigating the incident and for the impact on Ramos's family.
- The program resulted in over 314,000 female sterilizations and 24,000 male sterilizations, many under coercion and without valid consent.
- Human rights advocates hailed the ruling as a victory for sexual and reproductive rights as human rights.
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