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{
    "id": 993898,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/993898/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 204,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kihika",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13216,
        "legal_name": "Susan Wakarura Kihika",
        "slug": "susan-wakarura-kihika"
    },
    "content": "A review of the concluding observations on the Second Periodic Report of Kenya adopted by the Committee at its 50th Session that was on 6th to 31st May 2013, shows that the Committee Against Torture raised concerns on the occurrences of forced and coerced sterilisation of HIV/AIDS positive women and women with disability. The Committee urged the State to strengthen its efforts to investigate the allegations of involuntary sterilisation or other harmful practices in connection with reproductive health, and identify and punish those involved in such practices. Further, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women raised issue with the failure to protect the health, sexual and reproductive right of women with disabilities, including the practice of forced sterilisation. The Committee recommended that the State should protect the rights of women and girls with disabilities, ensuring that they have equal access to inter alia, healthcare and other basic services; protect women and girls with disabilities from all forms of violence and ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted and adequately punished; and, abolish the practice of sterilising women and girls with disabilities by force and provide remedies for the victims. On the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women in their concluding observations in consideration of the issues raised by the Committee; Clause 25 of the Bill seeks to ensure that a sterilisation procedure is not carried out without a written consent from the patient. A health professional who carries out a sterilisation in contravention of the provisions of the Bill shall be guilty of an offence and be liable to five years imprisonment or a fine of Kshs2 million, or both. Madam Temporary Speaker, Clause 28 of the Bill states that before termination of a pregnancy under the Act, informed consent must be sought from the pregnant women, the guardian of a minor who is pregnant or the person with mental illness or a supporter or representative of the person with mental illness, where the person with mental illness is not able to give consent. Clause 32 of the Bill seeks to ensure that the national Government collaborates with the county governments to ensure that adolescents have access to adolescent friendly reproductive healthcare services that should be age appropriate. The clause lists adolescent friendly reproductive health services to include among other things; age appropriate mentorship; spiritual and moral guidance; counselling on abstinence; safe abortion and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs); vocational training; and, training in livelihood and life skills. Further, Clause 33 of the Bill seeks to ensure that the health professional obtains parental consent for adolescents aged below 18 years before giving adolescent friendly reproductive health services. With those few remarks, I beg to move and call upon Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve to second."
}