UN Committee against Torture (CAT) reprimands Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong and China over Intersex Genital Mutilations

Photo: UNHRC UPR #14, Geneva 20.10.2012

Today, the UN Committee against Torture published its binding “Concluding Observations” on the >>> CAT 56th Session Homepage.

As intersex human rights defenders testifying in Geneva to the lifelong consequences of IGM practices had hoped for, the Committee issued strong recommendations on intersex and IGM practices for Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong and China, typically urging states to

(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 decision-making and give full, free and informed consent;

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

StopIGM.org warmly welcomes these verdicts, marking the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th time that the Committee unmistakably denounces IGM practices as serious crimes clearly in breach of the Convention and constituting at least Inhuman Treatment or Torture – and the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th time in 2015 alone that a UN Committee reprimanded a state party over allowing this atrocity to continue unhindered.

In collaboration with local intersex human rights defenders and their organisations, we will continue to document the ongoing practice in ever more countries to relevant human rights bodies – including CAT, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

States as contracting parties to the Convention against Torture and other applicable Covenants including CRC, CCPR and CRPD can no longer feign ignorance of the illegal nature of IGM practices, but now must take all appropriate measures including legislation to eliminate them, and to guarantee access to effective redress and justice for all survivors!

• Austria: NGO Report by VIMÖ & StopIGM.org | Transcript Intersex Q&A | COs

• Denmark: NGO Report by Ditte Dyreborg and StopIGM.org | Transcript Intersex Q&A | COs

• Hong Kong + China: NGO Report by BBKCI | Transcript Intersex Q&A | COs HK + CN

• Historic 56th Session of Committee against Torture questions 5 Governments over IGM

See also:
• 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) condems 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 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