CRC82 > Portugal questioned about intersex mutilation by UN – Belgium, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland next

[ Deutsch ]


Photo: UNHRC UPR #14, Geneva 20.10.2012

Zwischengeschlecht.org on FacebookIGM = CRIME, Not 'Health Care' or 'Equality'!In Geneva, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is currently examining the human rights record of Portugal, repeatedly asking the State party why harmful practices against intersex children were allowed to continue, and why IGM survivors were denied access to redress and justice?
When Portugal tried to change the subject, discussing “international medical standards” and “transgender legislation” instead, Committee members asked follow-up questions, which Portugal will have to answer today (10-13h CEST).

UPDATE: UN Press Release: Portugal Defends Intersex Genital Mutilation

On the shiny outside, Portugal has recently adopted legislation aimed at protecting intersex children from IGM practices, claiming to have abolished the practice altogether, echoing similar legislation and claims from Malta – coincidentally, next week in Brussels, both countries will be praised once more as intersex human rights pioneers at a EU “High level Conference on Advancing LGBTI equality”.

However, as documented in NGO Reports, both in Malta and Portugal, all forms of IGM persist with impunity, advocated and paid for by the State party. In a previous session earlier this year, CRC already considered IGM in Malta as a harmful practice. Yesterday in Geneva, Portugal’s answers were hardly more than the known usual excuses and denials right in the face of documented facts.

Based on evidence submitted by StopIGM.org in collaboration with local and regional intersex NGOs, UN Treaty bodies CRC, CAT, HRCttee-CCPR, CRPD and CEDAW have so far reprimanded 12 EU countries for failing to effectively protect intersex children from non-consensual, unnecessary genital surgery, forced sterilisation and other involuntary, non-urgent procedures which the UN Committees consider to amount to serious violations of non-derogable human rights under multiple Treaties, namely cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment falling under the absolute prohibition of torture (CAT, CCPR, CRPD), a harmful cultural practice just like FGM (CRC, CEDAW), involuntary medical or scientific experimentation (CCPR), and a violation of the integrity of the person (CRPD). Globally, we’re currently at 42 UN reprimands for IGM practices to 24 countries (see list).

Together with fellow intersex NGOs Brújula Intersexual, Intersex Belgium, Vivir y Ser Intersex, Intersex.ch and SI-Global, StopIGM recently submitted 5 Intersex Shadow Reports to different Treaty bodies, besides Portugal also for Belgium, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland – all of them up for review in Geneva:

2019-CRC-Portugal-NGO-Zwischengeschlecht-Intersex-IGMCountry: Portugal
Treaty Body: Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Convention: Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Download Intersex NGO Report: PDF (942 kb)
Report by: StopIGM.org
Next Steps in Review Cycle: Examination @ CRC 82nd Session, 19.-20.09.2019; Concl Obs due November
>>> Full Timeline Previous UN Reprimands: none

2019-CCPR-Belgium-NGO-Intersex-StopIGMCountry: Belgium
Treaty Body: Human Rights Committee (HRCttee-CCPR)
Convention: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)
Download Intersex NGO Report: PDF (581 kb)
Report by: Intersex Belgium, StopIGM.org
Next Steps in Review Cycle: Examination @ CCPR 127th Session, 15.-16.10.2019; Concl Obs due November
>>> Full Timeline Previous UN Reprimands: CRC (2019)

2019-CCPR-Mexico-NGO-Intersex-Brujula-StopIGMCountry: Mexico
Treaty Body: Human Rights Committee (HRCttee-CCPR)
Convention: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)
Download Intersex NGO Report: PDF (636 kb)
Report by: Brújula Intersexual, Vivir y Ser Intersex, StopIGM.org
Next Steps in Review Cycle: Examination @ CCPR 127th Session, 16.-17.10.2019; Concl Obs due November
>>> Full Timeline Previous UN Reprimands: CEDAW (2018)

2019-CCPR-LOIPR-Spain-Intersex-Brujula-StopIGMCountry: Spain
Treaty Body: Human Rights Committee (HRCttee-CCPR)
Convention: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)
Download Intersex NGO Report: PDF (377 kb)
Report by: StopIGM.org, Brújula Intersexual
Next Steps in Review Cycle: List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR) @ CCPR 127th Session, due November; State Report with replies to LOIPR due 2020  >>> Full Timeline
Previous UN Reprimands: CRC (2018)

2019-CRC-LOIPR-Swiss-NGO-Zwischengeschlecht-Intersex-IGMCountry: Switzerland
Treaty Body: Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disablities (CRPD)
Convention: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disablities (CRPD)
Download Intersex NGO Report: DOCX (246 kb) | PDF (333 kb)
Report by: StopIGM.org, Intersex.ch, SI-Global
Next Steps in Review Cycle: List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR) @ CRPD 12th Pre-Sessional Working Group, due November; State Report with replies due 2020 >>> Full Timeline
Previous UN Reprimands: CRC (2015), CAT (2015), CEDAW (2016), CCPR (2017)

>>> intersex.shadowreport.org

See also:
‘Only the Fear of the Judge Will Make IGM Perpetrators Change’
“Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condem IGM
40 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

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)

Leave a comment