UN Committee against Torture (CAT) to investigate Intersex Genital Mutilations

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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 

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