Forced sterilisation and sexual violence against women with disabilities in Nigeria

Personal stories that illustrate the abuses

Advocates with decades of experience say women with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities—such as autistic women or those with Down syndrome—face heightened risk. The secrecy surrounding forced sterilisation and coerced abortion compounds vulnerability: decisions are commonly made in private without informing the woman herself, and health providers may carry out procedures under the pretext of family planning.

Legal status and practical barriers

Forced sterilisation is illegal under Nigerian law, but illegality has not stopped practices arranged privately. The private nature of these actions makes monitoring, reporting and prosecution difficult. Data about prevalence is unavailable or limited because families and medical providers keep arrangements secret, and survivors may be unaware a procedure happened or fear stigma if they speak out.

Several grassroots organisations and advocates are named for their work documenting and opposing these abuses. They gather survivors' testimonies, provide support services, and push for the inclusion and protection of disabled women. Their experience in internally displaced persons camps and other settings shows the problem spans different regions and circumstances.

• Lack of informed consent: Women are sometimes sterilised or subjected to reproductive decisions without being informed or included in the decision-making process.
• Misuse of ''family planning'': Family planning provisions or clinic access can be used as cover for non-consensual procedures.
• Criminalisation of abortion: Strict abortion laws drive terminations into unregulated, unsafe methods when partners force or arrange them.
• Data gaps: Secrecy and underreporting prevent accurate measurement and make policy responses difficult.

The accounts do not present a single national dataset but rather a pattern described by multiple advocates who have interacted with survivors over many years. The problem is characterized by covert decision-making by caregivers and intimate partners, heightened risk for women with certain disabilities, and structural barriers that limit visibility and redress. Advocacy groups are working to document cases and support survivors while calling attention to gaps in legal protection and healthcare practice.

Forced sterilisation and coerced abortion are reported forms of abuse against women with disabilities in Nigeria. Action to address the problem will require improving detection and reporting, protecting informed consent in healthcare, and addressing the insecurities—legal, social and economic—that allow family members and partners to make reproductive decisions on behalf of disabled women.