StopIGM.org

Daniela Truffer, CEDAW #43, Geneva 26.01.2009

Bearing witness to IGM – to end it! The more people know specifics about IGM Practices, the sooner these gross human rights violations perpetrated in children’s clinics around the globe will be HISTORY.

>>> Powerful testimony by Daniela “Nella” Truffer (PDF)
in the new edition of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, vol. 5 no. 2 (2015), together with 19 more, incl. by Hida Viloria and Kimberly Zieselmann, and 4 commentaries, incl. by Lih-Mei Liao and Katrina Karkazis, in a thematic intersex section edited by Georgiann Davis and Ellen Feder (p 87-150 + online). Thanks! Hopefully yet more contributions will become available online for free …

Photo: UNHRC UPR #14, Geneva 20.10.2012

Press Release by StopIGM.org, 14.08.2015:

Zwischengeschlecht.org warmly welcomes the historic 2015 “Concluding Observations” of the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) for Switzerland.
>>>  CAT/C/CHE/CO/7, PDF, french, on intersex p. 7, para. 20

We particularly appreciate the Committee specifically demanding “legislative, administrative and other necessary measures”, both to eliminate the practice and to ensure access to redress and compensation for survivors, as well as referencing both the recommendations by the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (NEK-CNE) (underlining the need for legal revision including liability, criminal law and statutes of limitation) and the recent recommendations by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (CRC/C/CHE/CO/2-4, recognising IGM as a Harmful Practice).

And we are very pleased that the Committee further explicitly calls for an investigation into the hitherto existing, and also in Swiss children’s clinics still ongoing practice (so far only the Zurich University Children’s Clinic has started a process of coming to terms and historical reevaluation, so far without any support by the state), and last but not least for adequate psychosocial support for parents and persons concerned instead of non-consensual, mutilating genital surgery on defenceless children.

Now the Federal Government and Parliaments are called upon to finally stop beating around the bush, but – in consultation with intersex people and their organisations – to take expeditious and adequate legislative action – like the National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics already stipulated in 2012.

The fight of intersex people and their organisations for “bodily integrity, autonomy and self-determination” and to eliminate IGM practices is far from over. However, the Concluding Observations by the Committee against Torture mark another important and most welcome step towards these goals – and a sign of hope for intersex children everywhere!

[ Unofficial translation of CAT recommendation 20 on intersex after the break ]

>>> Geneva 2015: UN Committee against Torture (CAT) criticises IGM Practices
>>> 2015 CAT NGO Report “Intersex Genital Mutilations” (PDF 3.46 MB)
>>> 2015 CAT Briefing “IGM as Torture or CIDT” (PDF 1.7 MB)
>>> CAT 2011: Germany should investigate IGM Practices and compensate survivors!

Read more“Inhuman Treatment”: UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) Condemns Intersex Genital Mutilations, Calls For Legislative Measures

>>> Video on Aljazeera | Whole Interview (Transcript)
>>> Intersex Fact Check: ‘3rd Gender in Germany’ – true or false?

Read moreBearing Witness to IGM > “I spent my life in fear, pain and shame”

Janik Bastien-Charlebois (3rd from front, leftmost) @ 3. Intersex Forum 2013 in Malta

Bearing witness to IGM – to end it! The more people know specifics about IGM Practices, the sooner these gross human rights violations in children’s clinics around the globe will be HISTORY.

This blog says KUDOS to Janik Bastien-Charlebois: 

Shortly before my 17 birthday, my mom once told me, as we were driving in her car, that if I wanted a free surgery, I had to submit myself to one before I turned 18. Else it would be considered a cosmetic surgery and I would have to pay for it – something that would be pretty expensive to the point of being inaccessible for the young person I was. I was faced with an ultimatum. I did not desire surgery, but I was still unsure as to whether I would be loved as I was, and was afraid that finding that out after 18 would represent a risk. And then, wasn’t it what I had to do after all? «Sicknesses» and «malformations» are to be cured, not kept. And though I was offered a «choice», the very fact that it was offered where others are not conveys the message that it should be. The very fact that I had my clitoris touched and prodded in my youth had made me understand it was not entirely mine and that it would make sense that medicine remove whatever it is that it finds too much in it.

I was 17 when I went to see a doctor to have my genitals examined one last time, asking again if I «felt something». He told me that if I underwent the surgery, I would lose some sensation. I said fine. Sexuality was foreign to me, as I was submerged in a dominant and pervasive heterosexual culture. So yeah, «fine». And so I signed a consent form for a surgery at Sainte-Justine Hospital. I remember feeling uneasy about the terms, which were implying that that was my decision and my decision alone, castigating me in advance for doubts or second thoughts I could have. Dispossessed and overwhelmed, I went through the conformation machine like an automaton on rails.

The sickness of post-operative treatment and the pain of the wound hit hard. I never experienced such stabbing pains in my life, as nerves were dying out – nor was told I would be subjected to them. And I never expected my post-op genitals would look like a scary swollen «whatever» – nor was told they would look so. I remember one fleeting lucidity moment, as I lay on my bed on the first night after my surgery, looking at my hospital room ceiling thinking: «One day I’ll have to deal with all of this». Self-protection is strong, however. It would not fully resurface until 18 years later, and then only in progressive steps.

>>> Fulltext @ Montreal Gazette 

>>> 8 Intersex Protests + Info vs. ‘D$Dnet’ + ‘I-D$D’, Belgium 07.-13.06.2015 

Intersex Protest #2: ‘1st DSDnet Training School’ @ Ghent University Congress Center ‘Het Pand’, 08.06.2015

Also on day #2 of the ‘1st D$Dnet Training School’ advocating IGM practices, the participants were greeted by an (admittedly small) nonviolent intersex protest, this time brandishing the 2nd and 3rd in a series of new placards featuring IGM survivors speaking out!

Placard no. 2 (see picture above) features US intersex activist and IGM survivor, AIC’s Pidgeon Pagonis (facebook) in a still taken from a recent feature on Al Jazeera USA (youtube):

Kudos to Pidgeon for summarising eloquently the lies surrounding today’s arguably 3rd most frequent form of Intersex Genital Mutilations (IGM 3 – Castration / “Gonadectomy” / Hysterectomy / (Secondary) Sterilisation), which despite warnings by various human rights bodies is still regularly practiced on defenceless children  [WARNING!!!].

Many thanks for allowing us to feature this cool statement when confronting IGM doctors via nonviolent protests!

Since the reporting of the makers of the Aljazzera video has been rightfully criticised as a bit dodgy, here are some additional sources where Pidgeon says it as it is in their own words:

• “Intersex folks don’t need surgeries! | We need reparations!” (Twitter)

• “Confronting Goliath Without a Stone” (AIC Blog)

While again many participants of the ‘Training School’ reacted positively to the action, once more it didn’t take too long for an undisclosed representative of the Ghent University to think they could stop the protest …

>>> Intersex Protest #2 vs. ‘D$Dnet’ Genital Mutilators, Pt. 2 feat. Daniela Truffer

>>> Photo Report: Protest #1 ‘D$Dnet Training School’ @ Ghent Uni Congress Centre, 8.6.
>>> 8 Intersex Protests + Info vs. ‘D$Dnet’ + ‘I-D$D’, Belgium 07.-13.06.2015

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 are IGMs?
>>> 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 as a Harmful Practice
>>> Download PDF (3.14 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

On occasion of the criticism of IMG Pactices by the UN Committee against Torture, the Swiss french language newspapers >>> “Tribune de Genéve” and >>> “24 heures” featured a great and prominent article by Caroline Zuercher (online 02.08.2015, print 03.08.2016 on p. 5 respectively 6).

In it, Daniela “Nella” Truffer (StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org) once more bears testimony on the gross human rights violations perpretrated on intersex children, and calls for legislative action.

Also the Swiss paediatric surgeon Blaise Meyrat (University Clinic Lausanne) talks straight – on IGM Practices in general, and the urgent need for prolonging the statutes of limitations in particular.

This blog says many thanks!

An english translation of the ground-breaking statement by Blaise Meyrat after the scan:

The Fear of the Judge

«I advocate not to do it, but such interventions persist in Switzerland,» regrets Dr Blaise Meyrat, padiatric surgeon at CHUV Lausanne [University Clinic].

«Things hardly evolve in the medical sphere.» According to Meyrat, this reluctance can be explained by «a fear of admitting to have erred.»

«In my opinion, only the fear of the judge will make things change,» he continues. «We need statutes of limitation long enough so that victims can press charges as adults.»

He admits, if the statutes of limitations were adapted, he himself could be pursued through the courts by persons concerned. «Back then, I believed I did the right thing by operating on these children» he sighs. «Also, we didn’t have all the scientific literature available today … Medicine has been exremely violent against these people.»

Since 1993, he doesn’t practice gender-assigning surgery on children anymore. «I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while» he recalls. «For me, it’s a question of ethics, but my public interventions have triggered violent reactions by my collegues. Today, doctors can’t claim they didn’t know it anymore.»

>>> Fulltext online (in french): “Tribune de Genéve” | “24 heures”

>>> Geneva 2015: UN Committee against Torture (CAT) criticises IGM Practices

>>> CAT 2011: Germany should investigate IGM Practices and compensate survivors!

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 as a Harmful Practice
>>> Download PDF (3.14 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

CAT member Sapana Pradhan-Malla asking questions re: Intersex + IGM, Geneva 3.8.2015

StopIGM.org reporting live from the 55th Session of the UN Committee against Torture (CAT): 7th Periodic review of Switzerland, Mon 3 Aug from 10am, and Tue 4 Aug from 3pm!

A word transcript will follow, after the video recordings become available via http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/category/webcast-archives/cat/.

Session 2: Tuesday 4 August 2015

Tue 17:45 – Follow-up answer on intersex, again by by Mr. Alexis Schmocker, lawyer at the Federal Office of Justice, Directorate of Penal Law and Recourse (DJP), offering some new details, but nothing substantially new.

Tue 17:26 – After a short break, the Swiss delegation now continues with their answers and comments, starting again with the definition of torture and its place in Swiss law.

Tue 16:45 – Rapporteur Sapana Pradhan-Malla (Nepal) is just asking more questions on IGM Practices. She welcomed the Swiss answer and the NEK-CNE report and recommendations, but these would stem from 2012 and now we have 2015. According to the Convention, the State Party is obliged to prevent ill-treatment, and NEK-CNE themselves have criticised the treatment justified by psychosocial indications and called for legal action. How does Switzerland want to ensure the right to bodily integrity and other rights of the persons concerned?

Tue 15:18 – Just now comes the (comparatively short) answer on intersex, given by Mr. Alexis Schmocker, lawyer at the Federal Office of Justice, Directorate of Penal Law and Recourse (DJP):

After 3 parliamentry interventions [in 2011], the Gov is now sensitive of the problem, and has ordered the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (NEK-CNE) to investigate, and issue a report and recommendations, wich were published in November 2012, and contained 13 [sic!] recommendations [in fact there were 14 recommendations, NOT 13!]. The Federal Gov is now examining these recommendations and will discuss measures by the end of 2015 or in the beginning of 2016.

My 2 cents: Not only have the responsible politicians obviously not even properly read the ground-breaking NEK-CNE report yet (how difficult is it to count to 14?!), but without powerful ‘incentives’ they’ll obviously would like to just keep it that way! Notably, also the mentioned 3 parliamentary interventions were the result of a 4-year campaign by intersex NGOs. Hopefully, the Committee will issue strong recommendations to ‘invite’ the Swiss Gov to finally get active!

Tue 15:13 – Now it’s about corporal punishment of children.

Tue 15:05 – Today’s programme: 90 min answers and comments by the delegation, then 45 min dialogue with and further questions by Committee, followed by 45 min answers and comments. In additition, the delegation has 2 days to answer further in writing. The 1st answer concerns the definition of torture and the lack of specific legislation in the Swiss law.

Tue 14:59 – Today’s 2nd session will see the answers of the Swiss delegation to the questions of the Committee during yesterday’s session.  The online-transmission on http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/treaty-body-webcast-ii/ is now online!

Session 1: Monday 3 August 2015

Mon 11:03 – The online-transmission on http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/treaty-body-webcast-ii/ is (after initial technical problems) now live!

Today’s programme: So far the Chair Claudio Grossman (Chile) welcomed the Swiss delegation, which introduced themselves. Then the Committee’s rapporteur for Switzerland, Mr. Abdoulaye Gaye from Senegal covered Art. 1-9 . Now Rapporteur Ms. Sapana Pradhan-Malla (Nepal) asks Question on Art. 10-16 of the Convention, and she just now addressed IGM Practices!

Mon 11:15 – Rapporteur Sapana Pradhan-Malla (Nepal) just addressed IGM Practices! She explictly mentioned “harmful practices taking place regardng intersex”, and further mentioned (and quoted) from the 2011 CAT recommendations, the 2013 report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture (extensively), the 2009 CEDAW recommendations, and the 2015 CRC recommendations (again extensively, including “caus[ing] severe physical and psychological suffering”). And then asked the delegation explicitly about “any mesaures taken in this regard?” YAY!!! The Answers of the Swiss delegation are expected for tomorrow. 

>>> Geneva 2015: UN Committee against Torture (CAT) to investigate IGM Practices

>>> CAT 2011: Germany should investigate IGM Practices and compensate survivors!

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 as a Harmful Practice
>>> Download PDF (3.14 MB)     >>> Table of Contents

This Monday and Tuesday, 3–4 August 2015, on occasion of the 55th session of the UN Committee against Torture (CAT), the Swiss state delegation will be questioned by the Committee during the constructive dialogue at Palais Wilson in Geneva. Later the Committee is to issue binding Concluding Observations. IGM Practices are once more on the agenda:

StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org and the Swiss self-help groups Intersex.ch and SI Selbsthilfe Intersexualität have submitted an extensive Thematic Intersex NGO Report (Download PDF | more).

During an NGO meeting with the Committee last Thursday, after a 5 minute Briefing on Intersex and IGM as Torture or Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CIDT), our report has been lauded as as very informative, and one of the Committee’s rapporteurs for Switzerland declared interest to include our concerns in the Concluding Observations.

So chances are intact that the Committee – following their ground-breaking 2011 recommendations to Germany – will again address human rights violations of intersex people, after unfortunately ignoring recent reports submitted by intersex organisations from New Zealand (ITANZ) and Australia (OII) (for links to these reports see in the Bibliography in our thematic Report, on p. 53).

StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org will be present during the state review and will report live. The Concluding Observations are due on 14 August 2015. Keep your fingers crossed!

>>> Geneva 2015: UN Committee against Torture (CAT) criticises IGM Practices

>>> CAT: Germany should investigate IGM Practices and compensate survivors!

IGM as Torture or CIDT: 2015 UN-CAT Briefing
 1.  Personal Testimony – A Survivor’s Perspective
 2.  IGM Practices as Torture or CIDT
 3.  Recommendations
>>> Download PDF (1.14 MB)   >>> Text only DOC 

The new Thematic Intersex NGO report to the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) documents and criticises IGM Practices, proving they amount to Torture or Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment (CIDT), and that all state parties as signatories to the Convention against Torture are under obligation to take all appropriate steps, including legislation, to prevent them (Art. 1, 2, 16 CAT), to ensure impartial investigation of all cases, as well as redress, fair and adequate compensation and rehabilitation for all victims (Art. 12, 13 and 14 CAT), and to train and inform medical staff that non-consensual unnecessary surgical and other procedures on intersex persons are a serious human rights violation (Art. 10 CAT).

The report also includes an updated bibliography on international human rights bodies, national institutions and NGOs condemning IGM Practices, as well as an updated theamatic supplement “IGM in Medical Textbooks – History and Current Practice”, and is now available for download:

NGO Report to the 7th Periodic Report of Switzerland on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)

>>> Download as PDF (3.46 MB)

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

The review of Switzerland during the 55th session of the Committee against Torture will take place in Geneva at Palais Wilson on 3–4 August. Beforehand there will also be a confidential NGO briefing of the Committee. Zwischengeschlecht.org / StopIGM.org will participate in all meetings. To be continued …

>>> CAT: Germany should investigate IGM Practices and compensate survivors!

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 as a Harmful Practice
>>> Download PDF (3.14 MB)     >>> Table of Contents