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Celia Ramos v. Peru (Inter-American Court of Human Rights)

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Celia Ramos v. Peru (Inter-American Court of Human Rights)

Filing date: 06.03.2023
This case is the first to be brought before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to address Peru’s forced sterilization policy during the Fujimori regime.

Representing the family of Celia Ramos, a Peruvian woman who died in 1997 after being forcibly sterilized, the Center for Reproductive Rights and its partners are litigating this case before Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)—the highest human rights court in the Americas.

Celia was among thousands of Peruvian women—primarily Indigenous women, rural peasants and women living in poverty—forcibly sterilized in the late 1990s under Peru’s Fujimori regime.

The Center and partners argue that forced sterilization is a violation of human rights as a form of reproductive violence and gender-based violence. Celia Ramos v. Peru is the first-ever case before the IACtHR addressing Peru’s forced sterilization policy.

Taking Place During Peru’s Internal Armed Conflict, Sterilization Program Targeted Impoverished and Vulnerable Women

Throughout the 1990s under Alberto Fujimori’s regime, a large part of Peruvian territory was under military control and lacked constitutional guarantees. Civilians lived in fear of violence committed by illegal armed groups as well as by the State.

Peru’s sterilization policy was part of the National Reproductive Health and Family Planning Program (PNSRPF), implemented by the State from 1996-2000. While the government promoted the program as a way to supposedly increase access to family planning for low-income families, it actually functioned as a forced sterilization program.

Under the PNSRPF:

  • More than 272,000 tubal ligations were performed from 1996 to 2001. Of medical records analyzed, 59% showed missing or incomplete prior and informed consent.
  • Almost 7,000 women were subjected to forced sterilization—and 97% of those victims were from the poorest regions of the country, according to Peru’s Registry of Victims of Forced Sterilizations (REVIESFO), created in 2015.

The PNSRPF targeted impoverished, vulnerable women from rural and indigenous areas and was characterized by:

  • Misinformation and manipulative advertising campaigns.
  • Sterilizations without valid consent.
  • Goals and quotas imposed on medical personnel.
  • Unsafe medical conditions for performing the operations.
  • Impunity and lack of redress in reporting rights violations.

Case Background

The case originated in 2010, when the Study for the Defense of Women’s Rights (DEMUS) submitted Celia Ramos’s case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a regional human rights body that monitors human rights in the Americas. In 2021, the Commission concluded Celia’s rights were violated and recommended that Peru adopt measures of reparation and non-repetition.

In 2023, due to lack of progress by Peru, the Commission referred the case to the IACtHR, with the Center and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) joining to provide legal representation to the victims.

On May 22, 2025, the Center and its partners argued the case at a public hearing before the IACtHR in Guatemala City.

Case Arguments

Claiming that forced sterilization is a violation of human rights as a form of reproductive violence and gender-based violence, the Center and its partners are asking the IACtHR for:

  • Truth, justice and reparations for Celia Ramos’s family.
  • The establishment of a concrete reparation program for all the victims of Peru’s forced sterilization policy and their families, as well as non-repetition measures.
  • The strengthening of States’ obligations regarding the right to prior, free, full and informed consent, particularly regarding reproductive health.
  • Recognition that forced sterilization is a form of reproductive violence and, as committed by the Fujimori regime, constitutes a crime against humanity.
  • The inclusion of forced sterilization in transitional justice processes for victims of the armed conflict in Peru.

Celia Ramos’s Story

Celia Ramos was a 34-year-old woman with three daughters living in poverty in a rural area of Piura. The local medical post had been “adapted” to perform sterilizations under the PNSRPF, despite lacking the necessary resources to carry out surgical procedures such as sterilization.

In 1997, after seeking medical care at the post, Celia was repeatedly pressured by healthcare personnel to undergo surgical sterilization. Despite expressing her refusal, health personnel visited her home multiple times, providing her with misleading and incomplete information about the procedure.

Weeks later, Celia underwent surgical sterilization, during which she experienced respiratory arrest. Due to the lack of resources and equipment, the staff at the medical post failed to provide her with adequate treatment. Celia died 19 days after the procedure.

While Celia’s family reported her death to the local authorities, and despite evidence presented, no charges were filed.

Case Details

Center attorney(s): Carmen Cecilia Martinez, Esteban Madrigal

Partners: CEJIL (Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional), DEMUS (Estudio para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer)

Plaintiff(s): The family of Celia Ramos

Timeline

July 03, 1997 Celia Ramos is forced to undergo a surgical sterilization procedure that leads to her death 19 days later.
June 11, 2010 DEMUS submits Celia Ramos’s case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
December 03, 2021 The Commission concludes that Celia’s rights were violated and recommends that Peru adopt measures of reparation and non-repetition.
June 03, 2023 The Commission refers the case to the IACtHR, with the Center and the CEJIL joining to provide legal representation to the victims.
May 22, 2025 The Center and its partners argue the case at a public hearing before the IACtHR in Guatemala City.

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