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Photo: Intersex statement @ CEDAW70 Mexico private briefing, Geneva 05.07.2018
Background: CEDAW Task Force Mexico members, centre: Task force coordinator and CEDAW Vice-chairperson, Ms. Magalys Arocha Dominguez (Cuba)

Joint intersex NGO Statement on harmful practices on intersex children in Mexico, presented at the private CEDAW Lunch briefing by an Mexican intersex advocate on behalf of reporting intersex NGOs Brújula Intersexual, Vivir y Ser Intersex and StopIGM.org: (Wrongly announced as “Transsexual statement” [!] by the Mexican NGO coalition … when will they ever learn?!)

I’m M, an intersex woman from Guadalajara Mexico, my diagnosis is congenital adrenal hyperplasia in the salt-losing form, and I am a survivor of Intersex genital mutilation.

I was born with ambiguous genitalia, and before the age of two the first “reduction” of the clitoris was performed with the consent of my mother. From 18 months of age to 22 years I was subjected to 6 “corrective” surgeries to as my doctors called it “retouch my clitoris” and “enlarge my vagina”.

I was also submitted to other invasive procedures: constant genital examinations, also in front of student classes, and to vaginal dilations without anaesthesia, to human experimentation and to excessive doses of cortisone that gave me Cushing syndrome as a child and osteroporosis as an adult. All these procedures were paid by the Mexican state through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) through my father’s insurance until I turned 25.

As a freelance visual artist I’m not able to pay for IMSS coverage myself because this has become much more expensive than at the time of my parents. Only then I eventually realised that for me there are other options than cortisone to stay healthy.

In Mexico there is a very diverse intersex community. Unlike the developed countries a large part of the population don’t have access to specialised medical services, especially rural and indigenous people. Therefore there are many who could escape IGM. I know people from small towns who still have their bodies intact but who suffer from ostracism and discrimination in their communities. Sometimes intersex children are killed after birth.

Some intersex children are unable to attend school due to massive bullying and the failure of schools to prevent it, or because they can’t obtain a birth certificate because of their appearance. Those who actually need intersex specific medication often find it impossible to obtain it.

Of those submitted to Intersex genital mutilation, many are suffering from lifelong consequences, including loss of sexual sensations, pain during sex, and complications requiring more and more surgery.

Something that the whole community suffers is the anxiety and depression that these experiences have left, and due to the lack of awareness of intersex human rights, most of the Mexican intersex community has remained anonymous, that explains why only I am here to testify.

>>> Intersex NGO Report + CEDAW70 Timeline Mexico

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

See also:
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condem IGM
• 32 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC): IGM = Harmful Practice + Violence
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT) 2015: IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Women’s Rights Committee (CEDAW): IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): Violation of Integrity
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) condemns IGM Practices

Intersex Genital Mutilations • 17 Most Common Forms
Human Rights Violations Of Children With Variations Of Sex Anatomy
IGM – Historical Overview • What is Intersex? • How Common is IGM?
>>> Download PDF (3.65 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

IGM as a Harmful Practice: 2015 UN-CRC Briefing
• IGM: A Survivor’s Perspective • Intersex Movement History
• What are Variations of Sex Anatomy?  • What are IGM Practices?
• IGM and Human Rights  • Conclusion: IGM is a Harmful Practice
>>> Download PDF (3.14 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN expert meeting on Intersex Human Rights
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

[ Français ]   [ Deutsch ] 

click to enlarge!

Intersex and IGM in Mexico   # UN CEDAW 70
“Fragments. An Intersex experience” (Mexico 2018)
Shortfilm + Talk
with Adiós Al Futuro (Proyecto Intersexual, Mexico)
Daniela Truffer & Markus Bauer (StopIGM.org)
Geneva 2 July 2018
18:30h @ ApsaraArts
Cultural space at the heart of quartier Pâquis
43, rue de Neuchâtel • 1201 Genève
Tram 15 stop Môle (or stop Cornavin and 5min walk)
Bus 1 stop Place de la Navigation

« it’s a cut
I had a catheter
it was extremely painful »

The first week in July, in Geneva the UN Women’s Rights Committee (CEDAW) will examine intersex genital mutilations in Mexico, thanks to a collaborative NGO report from Mexico and Switzerland.

Mexican intersex visual artist Adiós Al Futuro (Proyecto Intersexual) will testify before the Committee, and will present and discuss her short film “Fragments. An Intersex experience” (Mexico 2018, 10 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles) – an unflinching look at IGM in Mexico, partly based on testimony from Mexican NGOs Brújula Intersexual and Vivir y Ser Intersex, co-rapporteurs to CEDAW.

With an introduction to intersex, IGM and human rights at the UN and on a global scale by Daniela Truffer and Markus Bauer, co-rapporteurs for StopIGM.org.

See also:
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• 32 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …

Intersex Genital Mutilations • 17 Most Common Forms
Human Rights Violations Of Children With Variations Of Sex Anatomy
IGM – Historical Overview • What is Intersex? • How Common is IGM?
>>> Download PDF (3.65 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

IGM as a Harmful Practice: UN-CRC Briefing
• IGM: A Survivor’s Perspective • Intersex Movement History
• What are Variations of Sex Anatomy?  • What are IGM Practices?
• IGM and Human Rights  • Conclusion: IGM is a Harmful Practice
>>> Download PDF (3.14 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN expert meeting on Intersex Human Rights
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

Un récent >>> Communiqué de presse de l’ONU sur l’examen de l’Argentine fait mention des questions du Comité et des (non-)réponses de la délégation Argentine sur les mutilations génitales intersexes (MGI) lors de la 78ème session du Comité des droits de l’enfant (CDE), affirmant faussement que la pratique médicale préjudiciable involontaire n’aurait plus lieu en Argentine, et niant en outre tout obstacle à l’accès à la justice et à la réparation pour les survivants des MGI en Argentine :

« Examen du rapport

Questions et observations des membres du Comité

[…] Une autre experte a demandé si des mesures avaient été prises pour prévenir les actes chirurgicaux qui visent à donner un sexe spécifique à un nouveau-né avant que cet enfant ait pu exprimer son souhait à cet égard.  […]

Présentation du rapport

Réponses de la délégation

[…] Un enfant sur 4000 naît sans que son sexe puisse être déterminé, a poursuivi la délégation.  Les personnels concernés doivent alors fournir des informations adéquates aux parents.  Ces dernières années, les opérations chirurgicales aux conséquences irréversibles ont été repoussées – sauf si la vie de l’enfant est en danger – afin d’attendre que l’enfant ait atteint un âge où il puisse donner son avis et faire part de son souhait quant au sexe qu’il désire.  Des enfants qui auraient subi une intervention chirurgicale sans leur consentement ont toujours la possibilité de porter plainte en justice, a ajouté la délégation. […] »

>>> VIDEO: Argentina questioned by UN Committe on the Rights of the Child

See also:
• 31 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC): IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT): IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) condems IGM Practices
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) condemns IGM
• 56th Session of Committee against Torture reprimands 4 Governments for IGM
• CAT 2011: Germany must investigate IGM practices and compensate survivors!

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN intersex expert meeting
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

A recent >>> UN Press Release on the review of Argentina reports the Committee questions and the Argentinian Delegation’s (non-)answers on Intersex Genital Mutilations during the 78th CRC Session, falsely claiming involuntary harmful medical practice would no longer take place in Argentina, and further denying any obstactles to access to justice and redress for IGM survivors in Argentina:

« Questions by the Committee Experts

[…] KIRSTEN SANDBERG, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Argentina, […] further inquired about measures taken to avoid any medical treatment to assign sex to children before they could assert their own autonomy in that respect. […]

Replies by the Delegation

[…] Regarding the issue of intersex children’s surgical procedures, in order to prevent unwanted interventions, an interdisciplinary medical team could declare that no surgery could take place on intersex babies in the perinatal stage.  In certain situations, if a procedure was required, doctors would seek the least invasive route.  Also, the delegate continued, no surgeries would be conducted on intersex children until they declared their perceived sex themselves and determined what sort of hormonal treatment they would require.  Recent statistics found that 1.4 per cent of children associated themselves as intersex. [= lost in simultaneous translation: actually the delegate said “1 in 4 thousand“, see video spanish @ 12:25 – however, a more appropriate figure would be 1-2 in 1 thousand, see 2015 Report, p. 25. ] […]

Questions by the Committee Experts

Following up on the question about intersex children, an Expert asked if there was access to justice for children who had received undesired surgical interventions?

Replies by the Delegation

The delegation said the Argentinian justice system was open to anyone who had a complaint to file, including intersex persons. […] »

Nonetheless, at StopIGM.org we’re hopeful that the Committee won’t have put the wool over their eyes, but will honour the strong, substantiated evidence proving the ongoing harmful practice in Argentinian University Children’s Hospitals and will issue strong “Concluding Observations” on IGM to the complicit State party after the end of the 78th CRC Session.

>>> VIDEO: Argentina questioned by UN Committe on the Rights of the Child

See also:
• 31 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC): IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT): IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) condems IGM Practices
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) condemns IGM
• 56th Session of Committee against Torture reprimands 4 Governments for IGM
• CAT 2011: Germany must investigate IGM practices and compensate survivors!

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN intersex expert meeting
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

CRC78 examining Argentina @ Palais Wilson, Geneva 14.05.2018 – kicking off …

At the 78th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Argentina was questioned over Intersex Genital Mutilations (IGM) on
Mon 14.05.2018 15-18h CET + Tue 15.05. 10-13h
>>> VIDEO Session 1 | Session 2 (en + es)

Justicia Intersex, Brújula Intersexual and StopIGM.org submitted an extensive Thematic NGO report to the Committee providing solid eveidence of IGM practices in Argentina and of the complicity of the State party. In addition, the Thematic NGO report has been endorsed by the Coordinadora de Profesionales por la Prevención de Abusos (CoPPA) – many thanks!>>> PDF English | Español

StopIGM.org was reporting LIVE from Palais Wilson, hoping the Committee will raise and condemn IGM practices in Argentina!

Session 1, Mon 14.05.2018, 15-18h CET

>>> Session 1 Video (English and Spanish)

17:23h: YAY!! CRC expert and Task force member Prof. Kirsten Sandberg (of CRC68, CRC72 [1], CRC72 [2], CRC73 fame) raises intersex Genital Mutilations, asking about measures to prevent unnecessary surgery and other treatments on intersex children before they’re able to consent!  (Full transcription to follow)

17:36h: CRC Rapporteur and Task force member Prof. Jorge Cardona Llorens asks about involuntary sterilisation of children with disabilities.

17:59h: Session adjourned. Tomorrow Argentina will have to answer on IGM!

Session 2, Tue 15.05.2018, 10-13h CET

>>> Session 2 Video (English and Spanish)

10:15h: Non-answers on intersex by Delegation member Sra. Diana Fariña (Ministry of Health, Director of Maternity and Infancy of the Nation). As per usual claims the “very thorough” Law 26.743 Gender Identity Law would also prevent IGM, while in fact it reportedly fails intersex children (see NGO Report PDF p. 16-17). (Full transcription to follow)

10:20h: YAY!! Follow-up question on intersex by Committee expert and CRC Vice Chairperson Mr. José Angel Rodríguez Reyes (of CRC71 and CRC77 fame), asking about data collection and access to justice for IGM survivors. (Full transcription to follow)

10:21h: Follow-up (non-) answer on intersex, again by Delegation member Sra. Diana Fariña! (Full transcription to follow)

Next month, the end of its 78th sessionor soon after, the Committe will publish the “Concluding Observations”, hopefully with yet another severe reprimand for IGM practices, and the first for Argentina …

>>> Argentina questioned by UN Committe against Torture

See also:
• 31 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC) : IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT): IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) condems IGM Practices
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) condemns IGM
• UN Women’s Rights Committee (CEDAW): IGM = Harmful Practice

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN intersex expert meeting
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

StopIGM.org regularly reports to UN Treaty bodies on different countries, often in collaboration with local intersex advocates and organisations. Our goal is to obtain as many and as strong “Concluding Observations” recognising intersex and IGM as a serious violation of non-derogable human rights as possible, in order to increase the pressure on IGM perpetrators. Our work substantially contributed to the so far 31 UN reprimands for IGM. In our experience collaborative reports are more effective than individual ones, but the most important factor is the quality of the evidence and testimonies provided. Recently there have been questions about how we submit reports and collaborate with local intersex advocates and organisations. We welcome this opportunity to outline our policy, and appreciate feedback and comments.

StopIGM.org: Policy on Submitting Country Reports on Intersex and IGM to UN Treaty Bodies

• We only submit reports when we feel there is substantial evidence and/or personal testimony corroborating IGM practices and the complicity of the State party in question to have at least a fighting chance to obtain strong recommendations, and to continue to do so in the future
• We always consult with local intersex advocates and organisations
• We always offer collaborating (i.e. writing a report together), coordinating (writing separate reports, but coordinate) or further consulting (keeping each other/the others in the loop) with any local intersex advocate and organisation, and generally with anyone capable of contributing, to be able to submit the best possible report(s) in order to obtain the strongest possible recommendations
• We always give due credit to local and other intersex advocates and organisations strictly based on merit, and always give sources for evidence we use
• In case of local intersex advocates or organisations declining to collaborate/coordinate/further consult, we reserve the right to submit reports either in collaboration with other local intersex advocates or organisations, or on our own
• In case of other advocates or organisations not honouring their promises/commitments/deadlines or resorting to tactics incompatible with constructive collaboration (e.g. plagiarism, smearing or bullying), we reserve the right to proceed with submitting referenced evidence without further consultation, collaboration and/or coordination, until further constructive collaboration, coordination and/or consultation is possible again

See also:
• 31 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC) : IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT): IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) condems IGM Practices
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) condemns IGM
• UN Women’s Rights Committee (CEDAW): IGM = Harmful Practice

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN intersex expert meeting
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

 

Today, Portugal has adopted a new Law No. 75/XIII/2 (PDF) aimed at protecting trans and also intersex persons. This new law has been publicly hailed by ILGA as “mak[ing] Portugal only the second country worldwide to outlaw medically unnecessary treatments on intersex kids” and “[i]t will become illegal to perform unnecessary surgery on intersex children”, arguably referring to art. 5 (“Protection of sex characteristics”) and art. 6 (“Modification of the body or the sex characteristics of minors”).

Unfortunately, regarding the protection of intersex children from intersex genital mutilation (IGM), the law seems grossly insufficient, as it doesn’t explicitly prohibit IGM by criminalising or adequately sanctioning the practice, nor address obstacles to access to justice and redress for IGM survivors, namely the statutes of limitations, nor include extraterritorial protections from IGM – all of which would be essential requirements stipulated by international law, namely CRC, CAT, CEDAW, CCPR and CRPD, and is considered standard in laws addressing female genital mutilation (FGM).

Tellingly, the voted-on law (PDF) and its explanatory memorandum (PDF) both fail to mention any of these requirements, or the associated UN conventions (only a general reference to “human rights” is included in the memorandum, see p. 4-5), or the requirement of informed consent of the capable intersex person themselves – instead the law exclusively focuses on “established gender identity” as the sole requirement (see art. 6). What’s more, the unmitigated and blanket exclusion of “situations with a corroborated health risk” (art. 6) is bound to be exploited as a loophole by IGM doctors.

Therefore, Law No. 75/XIII/2 seems to be just another case of pinkwashing and falsely claiming to protect intersex children, while at the same time IGM is allowed to continue with impunity – same as with similar laws in Malta, Madrid and Argentina.

The law hast still to be ratified by the President to become effective.

>>> Article at Thomson Reuters Foundation

See also:
• 31 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC): IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT): IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) condems IGM Practices
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) condemns IGM
• 56th Session of Committee against Torture reprimands 4 Governments for IGM
• CAT 2011: Germany must investigate IGM practices and compensate survivors!

Intersex Genital Mutilations • 17  Common Forms
Human Rights Violations Of Children With Variations Of Sex Anatomy
IGM – Historical Overview • What is Intersex? • How Common are IGMs?
>>> Download PDF (3.65 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN expert meeting on Intersex Human Rights
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

>>> CCPR120 > Testimony to Intersex Genital Mutilation in Switzerland
>>> CCPR Timeline Switzerland 2017

UN-CCPR 120th Session @ Palais Wilson, Geneva 03.07.2017, 14:55h: Getting ready …
Left row, front: HRCttee expert Mr. Christof Heyns, who asked the first intersex question.
Right row, back (just below the podium): Mr. Yuval Shany who asked the follow-up question.

During its 120th session, the UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) as the Treaty body monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) was investigating Intersex Genital Mutilations for the very first time!

StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org, in collaboration with Swiss peer and parent’s self-help groups Intersex.ch and SI Global, have been denouncing IGM practices in Switzerland as a violation of CCPR since 2014, with the Committee thereafter asking the Swiss State party questions on intersex and IGM in its List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LoIPR) under para 22. In their (non-)reply, Switzerland brought up the usual denial + pinkwashing in the State report (para 188).

Now, during the State review in Geneva, the Swiss delegation was questioned by the HRCttee experts. StopIGM.org was reporting LIVE fom Palais Wilson, hoping for tough questions on Intersex and IGM, and a first reprimand for IGM practices by the HRCttee (CCPR/C/CHE/CO/4, paras 24-25) at the end of the 120th CCPR Session!

Session 1, Mon 03.07.2017, 15–18h CET

15:58h: (Video @ 00:57:03)YAY!! Committee expert and Country rapporteur Mr. Christof Heyns inquires about Switzerland’s position on IGM! Unofficial Transcript:

«And then I want to ask, what is your position on so called “corrective” genital surgeries on intersex children, is there an official position of the country on that issue?»

18:30h: (Video @ 02:29:25) (Non-)answer on intersex by Ms. Debora Gianinazzi (Civil Law and Law of Civil Procedure Unit, Federal Office of Justice FOJ), predictably changing the subject from IGM to “sex changes” and civil registration!
Unofficial Transcript (based on the UN simultaneous translation from the original French):

«With regard of the government’s attitude regarding surgery involving intersex children. The Swiss government has publicly declared in a press communicate dated the 6 July 2016 that it believes that surgery must not take place unless for medical reasons it is absolutely necessary. By this we should understand that it is for the children themselves to determine, to take decisions regarding their sex. This is the attitude of the Swiss government, and resulting from that attitude, that approach, it is also provided for a facilitated process of sex changes and recording this in the Civil registry. In 2014 following recommendations based on human medicine the Civil registry adopted an official communication, sent out to all offices of Civil administration in Switzerland, calling that they adopt new practices in terms of of modifying registration, in particular allowing for, if there is a medical document stating that there was an erroneous registration at the time of birth. As I have said, these are official communiques and the Swiss government wants to go further. For this reason it is currently drawing up a draft bill codifying this simplified registration process for recording sex change in the Civil registry. Thank you.» 

Session 2, Tue 04.07.2017, 10–13h CET

10:55h: (Video @ 00:54:21) YAY!! Committee Rapporteur and Vice-chairperson Mr. Yuval Shany asks a follow-up question on intersex! Inquires about practical steps to raise awareness, prevent practice and guarantee rehabilitation for victims, as well as compensation … Unofficial Transcript:

«Now issue no. 22 dealing with intersex related issues has been already largely covered by my colleague Mr Heyns, so I’m not going to go very extensively into this. I would just like to raise two points in that regard, one with regard to any practical information on any practical steps that the State party is taking in order to raise awareness among medical professionals and society at large with respect to this set of issues in order to prevent in the future unnecessary genital reassignment surgeries. We’ve been, it has been alleged to us that the State party does not provide adequate psychological support for intersex persons who have undergone involuntary genital surgical procedures in the past. Is this indeed the case? And more and finally what measures is the State party taking to provide access to intersex persons who have undergone such procedures to legal remedies and to ensure adequate compensation.»

12:41h: (Video @ 02:41:14) (Non-)answer to intersex follow-up question Mr. Guido Barsuglia (Head of Section, Federal Office of Public Health FOPH), resorting to the usual platitudes while conveniently skipping the question on psychological support and rehabilitation! Unofficial Transcript (based on the UN simultaneous translation from the original French):

«Thank you. I’ll answer two questions raised by Mr Shany on intersex children. To begin I’d like to say that Switzerland is aware of this issue. We’re concerned about it. Awareness raising among our citizens are of of the efforts taken in order to ensure that the right to self-determination is protected, as well as the right to mental and physical integrity of this group. We raise awareness through doctor’s associations, universities and patient’s associations. Mr Shany’s last question was on civilian actions seeking moral redress. As far as we know in Switzerland up to date there hasn’t been any civil case or class action case or payment in cash for moral reparations or redress in cases of sexual reassignment. Thank you.»

>>> CCPR120 > Testimony to Intersex Genital Mutilation in Switzerland
>>> Switzerland: Pinkwashing of Intersex Genital Mutilations at HRCttee
>>> UN Press release english | français – both mention intersex
>>> Video Session 1 | Session 2 

NGO Report to the 4th Periodic Report of Switzerland on the  International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)

>>> Download as PDF (809 kb)

Compiled by:
StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org
Intersex.ch
SI Selbsthilfe Intersexualität

>>> TRANSCRIPT + VIDEO: Switzerland Questioned by CRC
>>> TRANSCRIPT + VIDEO: Switzerland Questioned by CAT
>>> TRANSCRIPT + VIDEO: Switzerland Questioned by CEDAW

See also:
• 31 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condemn IGM
• UN Committee for the Rights of the Child (CRC) 2015: IGM = Harmful Practice
• UN Committee against Torture (CAT) 2015: IGM = Inhuman Treatment or Torture
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) to examine IGM Practices
• UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) condemns IGM
• 56th Session of Committee against Torture reprimands 4 Governments for IGM
• CAT 2011: Germany must investigate IGM practices and compensate survivors!

Intersex Genital Mutilations • 17 Most Common Forms
Human Rights Violations Of Children With Variations Of Sex Anatomy
IGM – Historical Overview • What is Intersex? • How Common is IGM?
>>> Download PDF (3.65 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

Eliminating IGM practices by holding the perpetrators accountable via well-established applicable human rights frameworks, including Inhuman Treatment and Harmful Practices – Presentation @ UN expert meeting on Intersex Human Rights
>>> Download PDF (831kb)

CEDAW 69th Session examining Luxembourg @ Palais des Nations, Geneva 01.03.2018

YAY!! Today is a good day for intersex human rights, as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) published its Concluding Observations with binding recommendations to the State parties – including stern reprimands for Intersex Genital Mutilations for 2 of the examined States, raising the total number of UN reprimands for IGM to no less than 31:

Luxembourg received its first reprimand, making it the 11th European state reprimanded.
>>> CEDAW/C/LUX/CO/6-7, on IGM: paras 27-28, 45(e)+46(e) (PDF)

And Chile received already its 3rd reprimand.
>>> CEDAW/C/CHL/CO/7, on IGM: paras 22-23 (PDF)

Thank you!  More details to follow soon …

See also:
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condem IGM
• 31 UN Reprimands for Intersex Genital Mutilations – and counting …

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

>>> Brilliant op-ed by Roald Viðar Eyvindsson, also re-published here, on the proposed legal ban on circumcision (of boys, girls and intersex children!) in Iceland.

Finally an ally who says it as it is! Thank you!

From the op-ed titled “The ban on circumcision in Iceland: Humanity or hipocrisy?”, addressing the discrepancy between the public uproar when it’s about FGM in Africa or religiously (non-christian) motivated “male circumcision” vs. the complicit silence and pervasive instrumentalisation when it comes to Intersex Genital Mutilation:

“[…] is it maybe because it’s harder to cry out that human rights are being violated when they are violated by your own country and have been for decades and you can‘t blame them on smaller communities which customs you find gruesome?”

“[…] why hasn’t the Icelandic parliament taken action in the matters of intersex people when genital procedures done on intersex children clearly violate their human rights? Why is it starting to look like our MP’s generally don‘t take a serious interest in the human rights of intersex people at all? Are we to believe that protecting the rights of intersex people is merely something that political parties like to put in their policies and use as queer bait before elections?”

See also:
• “Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condem IGM
• 29 UN Reprimands for Intersex Genital Mutilations – and counting …

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!