CRPD18 > Testimony to Intersex Genital Mutilation in the UK

Daniela Truffer testifying to IGM in the United Kingdom to CRPD, Geneva 21.08.2017

Zwischengeschlecht.org on FacebookAt the 18th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), before the UK was questioned over Intersex Genital Mutilations, NGOs had the possibility to brief CRPD. During the following Q&A, there was also a question by a Committee member on statistics of IGM in the UK.
Read below the 2-minutes oral statement by Daniela Truffer on behalf of the UK Intersex NGO Coalition + a Q&A summary: 
>>> Download Statement as DOC (33kb) | PDF (82kb)

  

Intersex NGO Coalition:
Oral Statement CRPD18 UK, 21.08.2017
StopIGM.org • IntersexUK • The UK Intersex Association

Daniela Truffer

Thank you.

I’m an intersex person and survivor of involuntary sterilising procedures and genital surgery, speaking on behalf of my UK peers on articles 16 and 17.

As shown in our 2 NGO reports, [1] in the UK children with so called “ambiguous” genitalia are still castrated, have their genitals cut and sliced, are submitted to forced hormonal treatment, unnecessary genital exams, vaginal dilations, medical display, and human experimentation. [2]

All advocated and paid for by the public National Health Service (NHS), [3] because all 4 countries still consider intersex to be a disability in the medical definition, and healthy intersex children as “defect”, “deformed” and in need to be “fixed”. [4]

CRC [5] has already recommended the UK to protect intersex children from unnecessary treatment, to provide families with adequate counselling and support, and to provide redress to the victims. However, the State party fails to act.

Also the UK’s non-answers regarding intersex to the List of Issues demonstrate the persistent denial of any human rights violation.

To this day, the UK tries to misrepresent institutionalised violence, ill-treatment and harmful practices perpetrated on intersex children [6] as supposedly genuine health care instead.

We would therefore like to recall the severe pain and suffering caused by non-consensual, unnecessary treatments, including loss or impairment of sexual sensation, painful scarring, impairment or loss of reproductive capabilities, lifelong dependency on artificial hormones, increased self-harm and suicide, and lifelong mental suffering and trauma. [7]

We therefore hope that the Committee will ask the delegation tough questions on IGM, and will sternly remind the UK of its obligations under the Convention. [8]

Thank you.

[1]  Report for LOI, http://intersex.shadowreport.org/public/2017-CRPD-PSWG-UK-NGO-Coalition-Intersex-IGM.doc
Report for Session, http://intersex.shadowreport.org/public/2017-CRPD-UK-NGO-Coalition-Intersex-IGM.doc
[2]  See Report for LOI, p. 8, 10-13; Report for Session, p. 8-11, 16-22
[3]  Ibid.
[4]  See Report for Session, p. 11-12; Report for LOI, p. 8-9
[5]  CRC/C/GBR/CO/5, paras 45-46
[6]  CRPD/C/DEU/CO/1, paras 37-38; CRPD/C/CHL/CO/1 paras 41-42; CRPD/C/ITA/CO/1, paras 45-46; CRPD/C/URY/CO/1, paras 43-44; CAT/C/DEU/CO/5, para 20; CAT/C/CHE/CO/7, para 20;
CAT/C/AUT/CO/6, paras 44-45; CAT/C/DNK/CO/6-7, paras 42-43; CAT/C/CHN-HKG/CO/4-5, paras 28-29; CAT/C/FRA/CO/7, paras 32-33; CCPR/C/CHE/CO/4, paras 24-25, CRC/C/CHE/CO/2-4, paras 42-43; CRC/C/CHL/CO/4-5, paras 48–49; CRC/C/IRL/CO/3-4, paras 39-40; CRC/C/FRA/CO/5, paras 47-48; CRC/C/GBR/CO/5, paras 45–46; CRC/C/NPL/CO/3-5, paras 41–42; CRC/C/ZAF/CO/2 paras 37-38; CRC/C/NZL/CO/5 paras 25, 15; CEDAW/C/FRA/CO/7-8, paras 17e-f+18e-f; CEDAW/C/CHE/CO/4-5 paras 38-39; CEDAW/C/NLD/CO/6 paras 21-22, 23-24; CEDAW/C/DEU/CO/7-8, paras 23-24
[7]  See Case Studies in Report for Session, p. 16-22
[8]  See Suggested Recommendations in Report for Session, p. 15

In the following Q&A with the Committee, CRPD expert Mr. Martin acknowledged our contributions and asked about statistics on forced treatments also generally on persons with disabilities in the UK.

Replying on intersex, Daniela referred to the partial NHS data available for england referenced in the Report for the List of Issues (LOI) on p. 11-13 ( DOC | PDF), indicating annually about 450 removals of testes on children, plus around 15 surgeries on the clitoris, as well as higher numbers of vaginal surgery, and around 2400 ”masculinising” “hypospadias repair” surgeries annually just in England.

>>> UK questioned over IGM – Gov lies, denies and pinkwashes!
>>> UK CRPD Intersex Briefing Statement 21.08.2017:
DOC | PDF
>>> UK CRPD Intersex NGO Report for Session: DOC | PDF

>>> UK CRPD Intersex NGO Report for LOIs: DOC | PDF

>>> Intersex human rights at the UN are under attack!!!

See also:
23 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!

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