UN-CRC76 > Denmark: Intersex children abused as cannon fodder for LGBT politics

Zwischengeschlecht.org on Facebook Intersex: No Reckoning, No Reconciliation! The onslaught never stops: Virtually every time StopIGM.org takes part in an UN Treaty body session, we’re confronted with one or more trans or LGBT NGOs instrumentalising the pain and suffering of intersex children submitted to IGM as a means to their own ends, and – hand in glove with state parties constantly pinkwashing IGM practices when questioned by UN Committees – seriously damaging intersex human rights at the UN in the process.

Typical examples of big-money agencies and NGOs exploiting IGM for LGBT politics include UNFE New York, Amnesty London, EU-FRA, and ILGA. “Insight” Ukraine is another typical example of a national LGBT organisation and ILGA member abusing intersex children as cannon fodder for LGBT politics at the UN.

But there are also countless comparably smaller trans and LGBT NGOs – though still with budgets many times bigger than those of intersex NGOs – routinely misrepresenting IGM as “necessary medical assistance and health care” at the UN. – Check.

LGBT Denmark: Exploiting intersex children – Shame on you!

The above quote is from today’s salient example on occasion of the review of Denmark next Friday 15.09.2017 at the 76th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC):

A Report by “LGBT Denmark – The Danish National Organization for Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender persons”, obviously without intersex representation or mandate, and a member of ILGA Europe.

Let’s unpack it:

• The “LGBT Denmark” report is (of course) NOT entitled e.g. “The rights of gay boys, lesbian girls and transgender children in Denmark”, but instead (anyone guessed?) “The Rights of LGBTI Children in Denmark”. – Check.

• The report further alleges the concerns of intersex children and IGM victims alike would be basically the same as those of transgender persons seeking consensual surgery but facing “challenges in regard to access to healthcare”. – Check.

• While the report has to be commended for raising the fact that the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) already reprimanded Denmark for IGM practices, the report fails to reference any intersex NGO report that provided the evidence leading to the reprimand. – Check.

• IGM is NEVER adequately adressed under genital mutilation and harmful practices (CRC art. 24(3) in conjunction with General comment No. 18) – in fact NONE of this is mentioned NOWHERE in the whole report. – Check.

• Instead correctly addressing IGM under genital mutilation and harmful practices, the report instead misaddresses IGM under (who’d’a thunk?!!)“LGBTI children and the health system (Article 24 & 37).” – Check.

• This only section addressing IGM is a ‘combined’ section on the serious mental and physical health issues particularly for trans* and intersex persons.” – Check.

• The (always) first part of the “combined health section” is on “trans* children” and contains recommendations on the “treatment of trans* children.” – Check.

• The (always) second part of the “combined health section” is on “Intersex persons” – but contains NO recommendations on intersex children, e.g. to take effective legal and other measures to protect intersex children from IGM and guarantee access to redress and justice to victims. – Check.

• Instead of any actual intersex recommendations, the 2nd “intersex” part of the “combined health section” recommends (you probably guessed it) “to ensure that procedures and practices within the public health care systems take into account the particular needs and vulnerabilities of LGBTI persons […], and to ensure the highest attainable standard of health to all children.” – Check.

Conclusion: BINGO!!! Yet another LGBT NGO shamelessly abusing the pain and suffering of intersex children as a means to an end for LGBT politics and their own gain! Shame on you!!!!!

How much longer?!!

>>> UN Press Release calls IGM survivors “transsexual children”!

>>> CRPD18 > Misappropriation of Intersex Funding by LGBT Groups
>>> “You shouldn’t always talk about the surgeries!”
>>> ‘Only the Fear of the Judge Will Make IGM Perpetrators Change’
>>> “Academic Complicity in IGM Practices”  

>>> Intersex human rights are under attack!!!

After the break this blog documents the the entire section on IGM and the non-recommendation within the “LGBT Denmark” report (p. 4, 5-6), exploiting intersex children [WARNING!!!]:

 

LGBTI children and the health system (Article 24 & 37)

Some formal obstacles remain in the health system resulting in serious mental and physical health issues particularly for trans* and intersex persons, which may raise concerns under article 24.

[… section on “trans* children” with recommendations on the “treatment of trans* children” …]

Intersex persons are subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment, which contradicts article 37 CRC, stating: “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. This is particularly the case when intersex children as infants are subject to so called “normalising” corrections of the infants’ genitalia [7]. In a recent report by Amnesty International, it is pointed out that these are irreversible surgeries that can affect the personal development of the individual, including trauma [8]. [9]

Both the medical intervention on intersex children and the lack of medical help to trans* children, prove that the Danish government does not “ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children”, and thus violates article 24 paragraph 2,b [10].

The above might also involve a violation of Denmark’s positive obligations towards protecting the rights of intersex persons. Reference is made to the recent recommendation by the UN Committee against Torture that in order to fulfil the obligations in Article 14 and 16 of UNCAT Denmark should [11]:

(a) Take the necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to guarantee the respect for the physical integrity and autonomy of intersex persons and ensure that no one is subjected during infancy or childhood to unnecessary medical or surgical procedures;

(b) Guarantee counselling services for all intersex children and their parents, so as to inform them of the consequences of unnecessary surgery and other medical treatment;

(c) Ensure that full, free and informed consent is respected in connection with medical and surgical treatments for intersex persons and that non-urgent, irreversible medical interventions are postponed until a child is sufficiently mature to participate in decisionmaking and give full, free and informed consent;

(d) Provide adequate redress for the physical and psychological suffering caused by such practices to intersex persons.

We therefore suggest that the Committee recommends the State party to ensure that procedures and practices within the public health care systems take into account the particular needs and vulnerabilities of LGBTI persons in order to prevent inhuman or degrading treatment, and to ensure the highest attainable standard of health to all children.

[7]  Region Midtjylland (no year), Intersex – Usikkert køn, from < https://pri.rn.dk/Sider/11732.aspx>. See also Amnesty International (2017) ”First, do no harm” p. 10-11, available at < https://amnesty.dk/media/3078/first-dono-harm.pdf>
[8]  Amnesty International (2017) ”First, do no harm” p. 45-46, available at < https://amnesty.dk/media/3078/first-dono-harm.pdf>
[9]  As pointed out in the UN’s fact sheet on “The Right to Health”, the right to health includes “the freedom to be free from non-consensual medical treatment”, see Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights & World Health Organization (2008), The Right to Health, Fact Sheet nr. 31, p. 3, available at http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf.
[10]  See Article 24 paragraph 2,b CRC
[11]  Concluding Observations, paragraph 43.

>>> CRC67 UPDATE: IGM survivors = “transsexual children” ??!!!

>>> Intersex human rights are under attack!!!

See also:
24 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

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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)

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