Sterilisation, the Death of Women, and UK Taxpayer Funding

Jul 22, 2011 | News

More than 20 women died in Peru during a period when the British Government provided more than £7.5 million to assist Peru with population and health measures. The British Government say it would not be “possible to disaggregate these figures further without incurring disproportionate cost.” The women who died during these programmes are sadly not in a position to argue but it can be surmised that they would regard the loss of their lives as a price too high. Whether it is coercion through the one child policy in China, gendercide in India, or death through forcible sterilisation in Peru, it amounts to the same thing – a gross violation of human rights and a subsequent callous indifference by the population control lobby. The failure of successive British governments to ensure that its funding is not used in the pursuit of these policies brings great shame on the United Kingdom.
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Peru: Question July 6th 2011
Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reports they have received about a sterilisation programme in Peru and about the number of women who have allegedly died as a consequence of the programme; and what representations they have made since May 2010 to the Government of Peru regarding the programme.
• Hansard source (Citation: HL Deb, 6 July 2011, c82W)
Lord Howell of Guildford (Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Conservative)
The Peruvian Government commission set up to investigate the programme concluded in 2002 that the responsible parties should be brought to justice and the victims be compensated. Investigations carried out by the commission and independent human rights groups suggest at least 20 women died as a direct result of the programme.
Former President Alberto Fujimori’s programme of mass sterilisation was carried out in Peru from 1996 to 1998. We have received no new reports and have made no new representations on the subject to the Government of Peru during the period in question.
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Peru
Question July 20th 2011
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial assistance they provided to population control programmes operating in Peru between 1996 and 1998.[HL11063]
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development’s (DfID) total gross public expenditure for Peru in the years 1996-97 and 1997-98 were £3,537,000 and £4,097,000 respectively. Total DfID spending, across all countries on health and population, was £116.11 million in 1996-97 and £117.44 million in 1997-98.
It is not possible to disaggregate these figures further without incurring disproportionate cost.

Lord David Alton

For 18 years David Alton was a Member of the House of Commons and today he is an Independent Crossbench Life Peer in the UK House of Lords.

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