Policy Series – III

Today we're going to look at UZBEKISTAN.

This is a tricky one because a lot information is from rumours and 'reports' so I'm not publishing it here as hard facts. Anyhow, Uzbekistan is supposedly carrying out programs of forced sterilisation as a way of controlling population. A 2007 report by the UN Committee Against Torture reported of such practices being done to those women would had had more than two or three pregnancies already.

Here is a BBC news article with a bit more information.

Surely this is a shining example of how not to manage population growth. It brings out all sorts of human rights issues and questions of freedom and choice. We have seen in the past that there are simple schemes that have proved successful, like family planning, women empowerment and education that improve people's lives even regardless of any connection with population growth.