I was shocked and saddened to learn that so many female immigrants have suffered abuse from licensed medical professionals and gynecologists within detention centers across the U.S. . The medical abuse that many of these women experienced during their time locked in these private facilities was brutal, inhumane, nonconsensual, and left many of them with long-term health consequences. Personal accounts made by the survivors describe “nonconsensual invasive gynecological procedures, which left them with intense pair for days afterwards.” Other women reported suffering from intense reminders of physical and sexual trauma and abuse that they endured in their past, referred to as re-traumatizing. The fact that women are having any type of procedure done on them without their consent is an infringement on their rights alone, but it is even more horrific to learn that some government organizations such as U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was aware of this abuse and other violations within these private prisons and chose not to stop it.
The more I read this article, the more heartbreaking news I uncovered. Approximately one year ago, some of the survivors came forward about the abuse that they suffered and decided it was time for them to call for justice and file a civil rights complaint. Sadly, a whole year later and those responsible for the abuse and trauma done to these women have still not been held accountable. Women who spoke out about their abuse have been deported for doing so, and separated from their children and families. Despite Biden’s efforts to reduce numbers of immigrants detained in the US, these numbers have exceeded two times what they were in February of 2021.
If the law is so clear on this type of abuse, how do things like this keep happening around us and going without discussion? Since government has been unsuccessful in their attempts to reduce number of immigrants held in detention centers, is there anything that we can do as students and citizens of our community to reduce these numbers or stop these forms of abuse?