HL Deb 30 October 1997 vol 582 c261WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What reports they have received about forced sterilisation in Tibet, and whether they will refer the matter to Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women, its cause and consequences.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

We are deeply concerned about reports of forced sterilisation in China, including Tibet, and strongly oppose any form of coercion in family planning. Although we have no plans to refer the matter Ms Coomaraswamy, the Government would expect the special rapporteur to take an interest in this matter. The UK co-sponsored a resolution calling for the elimination of violence against women, in all its forms, at the Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva in March/April 1997.

We also fully endorse the need for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) to improve the understanding and practice of standards of family planning agreed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.