Pakistan > Intersex children considered “birth defects” and “transgender”, parents offered surgery “to make them normal again”

STOP Intersex Genital Mutilation!Zwischengeschlecht.org on FacebookIntersex children in Pakistan are considered as “birth defects” and disabled, with an IGM ‘charity’ called “Birth Defects Foundation BDF”, which is headed by prominent Pakistani IGM surgeons, “provid[ing] treatment free-of-cost to make them normal persons again”, as the doctors >>> told Pakistani newspaper The Nation:

“The Birth Defects Foundation, a local organisation, has taken up the gauntlet to bring such children with congenital genitalia birth defects out of oblivion and provide treatment free-of-cost to make them normal persons again.

“Around 100 children suffering from congenital intersex abnormality, with dominant XX hormones, are surgically converted into females enabling them to lead a normal life with ability for procreation of offspring,” said Prof Dr Afzal Sheikh, an eminent Paediatric Surgeon, while conducting a follow-up session with the children getting a new lease of life out of utter despondency.”

“Out of 18 congenital birth defects, including genital disorders, the organisation is focusing on four major genital disorders among children. These disorders include intersex or ambiguity of sex; hypospadias in which phallus is curved down with urethral opening abnormally placed on ventral aspect; un-descended testis; and hernia, which are the major cause of infertility among such patients.”

Particularly, under “children suffering from congenital intersex abnormality, with dominant XX hormones” the “Foundation” is obviously targetting children diagnosed with “Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)”.

At the same time, in Pakistan intersex persons are legally considered as a subset of “transgender persons” according to the Pakistani “Transgender bill of Protections/Rights” (PDF), which promotes the following definition:

“Transgender Person” is a person who is
(i) Intersex (Khunsa) with mixture of male and female genital features or congenital ambiguities; or
(ii) Eunuch assigned male at birth, but undergoes genital excision or castration; or
(iii) a Transgender Man, Transgender Woman, KhawajaSira or any person whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the social norms and cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at the time of their birth”

This “landmark bill” (which has stil to be ratified by the Pakistati president) is unsurprisingly >>> universally hailed by Trans advocates as “historic” and a “victory for human rights”, despite its obvious negative consequences for intersex persons. As Leslie Jaye >>> wrote on FB: “This bill will not protect intersex ppl. What it will do is forstall future efforts to legitimately protect intersex ppl, b/c politicians will simply point ot the legisation and say ~ hey, we’ve already done our bit.”

How much longer?!

See also:
“Harmful Medical Practice”: UN, COE, ACHPR, IACHR condem IGM
32 UN Reprimands for IGM – and counting …

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

IGM as a Harmful Practice: 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

Leave a comment