Racism permeates every aspect of life in the United States, to the extent that women of color face racism when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health, Human Rights Watch said.
In a note to the United Nations, prior to its review of US compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Human Rights Watch and its partners identified key areas in which racial discrimination is “increasing” in the United States, and inequality persists “with particularly devastating effects on black women.” .
One such area is that the United States permits the restraint of pregnant women prisoners during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. According to the organization, black women are more likely to be imprisoned than white women.
The organization says that such a restriction is a clear violation of human rights as recognized by United Nations bodies.
Another area of discrimination is that black women are twice as likely to die of cervical cancer as white women in the United States, even though cervical cancer is largely preventable and treatable, according to the organization.
The WHO report noted that women of color are likely uninsured and lack access to affordable and universal health care coverage in the United States.
She added that 12 US states – including several southern states, where the majority of blacks live – had not expanded Medicaid, a government health care program to expand affordable health care coverage to more low-income people.
The organization added that the US federal government is not doing enough to address and eliminate structural racism and discrimination in the United States.
She called on the government to enact concrete measures to protect and promote equal rights under the law.