Forced sterilisation of women refers to the use of a procedure to control the reproductive behaviour of a woman or a particular group of women. It involves surgery which has the purpose or effect of terminating a woman’s capacity to naturally reproduce without her prior and informed consent or understanding of the procedure and its consequences. Forced sterilisation constitutes violence against women and is a form of harmful practice that negatively affects women’s physical and mental health and violates their right to reproductive autonomy.