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52 States call to protect the human rights of intersex people at the United Nations

October 4, 2021 by Editorial

PRESS RELEASE

updated: 06.10.2021 (number of signed States)

Growing, cross-regional group of countries calls on UN member States to combat violence and discrimination against intersex persons

“Unless immediate action is taken, severe human rights violations against intersex people will prevail and continue”, 76 civil society tell the UN Human Rights Council

Geneva, 4 October 2021 – A growing number of States has called on the UN Human Rights Council to urgently protect intersex persons in their autonomy and right to health. These 52 States from all regions of the world also highlighted the “need for concrete measures to combat harmful practices, violence and discrimination based on sex characteristics.”

Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and/or chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population is born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatized and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings – and discriminated against.

“Intersex persons continue to face discrimination in many areas of life,” Austria told the Human Rights Council today on behalf of 51 States, “particularly in education, healthcare, employment, social security, sports, places of detention and access to public services.”

“There is a need to take measures to protect the autonomy of intersex children and adults and their rights to health and to physical and mental integrity, so that they live free from violence and harmful practices.”

These words mark another milestone for the intersex human rights movement. For years, civil society has worked to make sure that States could listen to the voices of people with diverse sex characteristics and recognise the historic injustices that this population keeps facing every day.

Their tireless advocacy has prompted more and more States to speak up. In 2019, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling for an end to discrimination of women and girls in sports, including women born with variations of sex characteristics: this was the first HRC resolution to specifically include the rights of intersex persons. 

Then, in October 2020, 37 States took the lead and addressed intersex human rights violations –  a first at the UN Human Rights Council. In July 2021, the same forum saw the African Group of States using unequivocal words to assert that “segregating women on the basis of intersex variations had the same effect as apartheid,” and calling for an end of this practice in the field of sports. 

Civil society from across the world has also spoken today at the UN Human Rights Council: 76 organisations welcomed the recent initiatives by States, but encouraged them to do more. 

“Discrimination, stigmatization, violence, harmful practices in medical settings, and several other human rights violations continue to occur around the world for people born with diverse sex characteristics. Actions have to follow those statements,” their statement read. 

“States need to take strong and urgent action to uphold their obligation to ensure that intersex people live free from all types of violence and harmful practices, including in medical settings. Irreversible medical interventions (such as genital surgeries, hormonal interventions, and medical procedures intended to modify the sex characteristics of infants and children without their full, prior, and informed consent) continue to be the rule – not the exception – in the majority of UN member States.” 

“Unless immediate action is taken, severe human rights violations against intersex people will prevail and continue. This Council needs to send a strong message that such practices are in violation of international human rights norms, and must not be tolerated”.

*** ENDS ***

This is a joint statement by

  • ILGA World
  • Brújula Intersexual 
  • interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth 
  • Intersex Asia Network 
  • Intersex Human Rights Australia
  • SIPD Uganda 
  • OII Europe 
  • OII Chinese 
  • GATE 

Media contacts

  • Daniele Paletta (ILGA World, communications manager) media@ilga.org
  • Hiker Chiu (Intersex Asia Network, Executive Director) hiker@intersexasia.org
  • Julius Kaggwa (sipd.uganda@gmail.com) 
  • Morgan Carpenter (Intersex Human Rights Australia, executive director) morgan.carpenter@ihra.org.au
  • Dan Christian Ghattas (OII Europe, Executive Director) dan@oiieurope.org
  • Hiker Chiu (OII Chinese, Founder) hiker@oii.tw 

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

52 Estados piden la protección de los derechos humanos de las personas intersex ante la ONU

Un creciente grupo interregional de países pide a los Estados miembros de la ONU que combatan la violencia y la discriminación contra las personas intersex.

“A menos que se tomen medidas inmediatas, prevalecerán y continuarán las graves violaciones de derechos humanos contra las personas intersex“, dicen 76 miembres de la sociedad civil al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU

Ginebra, 4 de octubre de 2021 – Un número creciente de Estados ha pedido al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU que proteja urgentemente a las personas intersex en su autonomía y derecho a la salud. Estos 52 Estados de todas las regiones del mundo también destacaron la “necesidad de medidas concretas para combatir las prácticas nocivas, la violencia y la discriminación basada en las características sexuales”.

Las personas intersex nacen con variaciones de características sexuales (como genitales, órganos reproductivos, patrones hormonales y / o cromosómicos) que son más diversas que las definiciones estereotípicas de cuerpos masculinos o femeninos. Hasta el 1,7% de la población mundial nace con estos rasgos; sin embargo, debido a que sus cuerpos son vistos como diferentes, les niñes y personas adultas intersex a menudo son estigmatizades y sujetes a prácticas nocivas, incluso en entornos médicos, y son discriminades.

“Las personas intersex continúan enfrentando discriminación en muchas áreas de la vida”, dijo Austria hoy al Consejo de Derechos Humanos en nombre de 51 Estados, “particularmente en educación, salud, empleo, seguridad social, deportes, lugares de detención y acceso a servicios públicos. “

“Es necesario tomar medidas para proteger la autonomía de les niñes y personas adultas intersex y sus derechos a la salud y a la integridad física y mental, para que vivan libres de violencia y prácticas nocivas”.

Estas palabras marcan otro hito para el movimiento intersex de derechos humanos. Durante años, la sociedad civil ha trabajado para que los Estados puedan escuchar las voces de personas con diversas características sexuales y reconocer las injusticias históricas que esta población sigue enfrentando día a día.

Su incansable labor de promoción ha llevado a que cada vez más Estados se expresen. En 2019, el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU aprobó una resolución que pidió el fin de la discriminación en contra de las mujeres y niñas en los deportes, incluidas las mujeres nacidas con variaciones de características sexuales: esta fue la primera resolución del CDH que incluyó específicamente los derechos de las personas intersex.

Luego, en octubre de 2020, 37 estados tomaron la iniciativa y abordaron las violaciones de derechos humanos intersex, por primera vez en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU. En julio de 2021, en el mismo foro, el Grupo de Estados Africanos utilizó palabras inequívocas para afirmar que “segregar a las mujeres sobre la base de variaciones intersex tiene el mismo efecto que el apartheid” y pidió el fin de esta práctica en el campo de los deportes.

La sociedad civil de todo el mundo también ha hablado hoy en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU: 76 organizaciones acogieron con beneplácito las iniciativas recientes de los Estados, pero instaron a hacer más.

“La discriminación, la estigmatización, la violencia, las prácticas nocivas en los entornos médicos y varias otras violaciones de los derechos humanos continúan ocurriendo en todo el mundo para las personas nacidas con diversas características sexuales. Las acciones tienen que seguir esas declaraciones ”, decía su declaración.

“Los Estados deben tomar medidas enérgicas y urgentes para cumplir con su obligación de garantizar que las personas intersex vivan libres de todo tipo de violencia y prácticas nocivas, incluso en entornos médicos. Intervenciones médicas irreversibles (como cirugías genitales, intervenciones hormonales y procedimientos médicos previstos modificar las características sexuales de los bebés y los niños sin su consentimiento pleno, previo e informado) siguen siendo la regla, no la excepción, en la mayoría de los Estados miembros de la ONU”.

“A menos que se tomen medidas inmediatas, prevalecerán y continuarán las graves violaciones de derechos humanos contra las personas intersex. Este Consejo debe enviar un mensaje contundente de que tales prácticas violan las normas internacionales de derechos humanos y no deben ser toleradas ”.

*** TERMINA ***

Esta es una declaración conjunta de

  • ILGA Mundo
  • Brújula Intersexual 
  • interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth 
  • Intersex Asia Network 
  • Intersex Human Rights Australia
  • SIPD Uganda 
  • OII Europe 
  • OII Chinese 
  • GATE 

Contactos de medios

  • Daniele Paletta (ILGA Mundo, gerente de comunicaciones) media@ilga.org
  • Hiker Chiu (Intersex Asia Network, directore ejecutive) hiker@intersexasia.org
  • Julius Kaggwa (sipd.uganda@gmail.com) 
  • Morgan Carpenter (Intersex Human Rights Australia, director ejecutivo) morgan.carpenter@ihra.org.au
  • Dan Christian Ghattas (OII Europe, director ejecutivo) dan@oiieurope.org
  • Hiker Chiu (OII Chinese, fundadore) hiker@oii.tw 

Filed Under: Press Releases, UN, United Nations Tagged With: Human Rights, Intersex, Press release, UN, United Nations

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ORGANISATION INTERSEX INTERNATIONAL EUROPE e.V.
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