Policies that hurt. Impact of forced sterilizations on the mental health of women in the province of Chumbivilcas

Abstract

Between 1996 and 2001, the Peruvian government sterilized 272,028 women, primarily from rural areas and living in poverty, through the National Program for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (PNSRPF). The violation of human rights under this policy has been extensively documented; however, the effects on the mental health of affected women have been little explored, considering their meanings and experiences, given the social and cultural context in which notions of well-being and ill-being are established. This study explored the consequences of forced sterilization on the mental health of women in the province of Chumbivilcas, Cusco, by examining their experiences and meanings, using psychological suffering as a framework. It also sought to generate reflections from the perspective of those affected to contribute to the debate on mental health reparation policies for this population. The results reflect the experiences in the immediate context of forced sterilization, as well as its consequences, by exploring the resulting repercussions on the daily lives of the women interviewed.