Government-Sponsored Population Policies and Indigenous Peoples : Challenges for International Human Rights Law

This article challenges the legality of government-sponsored population policies targeting Indigenous people from an international human rights’ perspective. The paper analyzes state-sponsored forceful interference with Indigenous people’s reproductive rights across the world with a special focus on Australia and Peru. Such programs threaten the long-term survival of Indigenous peoples. The author argues that international human rights law can play a crucial role in protecting Indigenous people’s reproductive rights through developing effective legal mechanisms for the prevention of future reproductive policies, and reparation for past practices. The paper concludes that Indigenous women’s right to reproductive autonomy must be recognized as an integral component of Indigenous people’s rights to self-determination, to health, and to prior and informed consent under international law.