Human Rights
-
OII Europe welcomes UN experts’ statement on gender as a tool to advance human rights
On the 25th of August 2025, a group of 47 United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders published a joint statement reaffirming the central role of gender as an analytical lens to advance equality and human rights for all. The experts expressed deep concern at attempts to dismiss ‘gender’ as a key concept to understand systemic…
Categories: United Nations -
“Being Intersex in the EU” – FRA report
New FRA report Being Intersex in the EU sheds light on lived realities of intersex people in the EU Download Press Release as PDF On September 17th 2025, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published their report Being Intersex in the EU, featuring an in-depth look at the data from 1920 intersex respondents…
-
First ever panel on intersex people’s human rights at the UN Human Rights Council
OII Europe Press Release On the 15th of September 2025 the milestone panel discussion on combating discrimination, violence and harmful practices against intersex persons took place at the 60th United Nations Human Rights Council. This historic event is a testament to the progress made in past years on UN level to recognize the human rights…
-
Fullfilling the rights of intersex people
Human Rights Council – 60th session side event Date and Time: 17. September 2025 12:00 – 01:00 PM CESTLocation: Room VIII, Building A, Palais des Nations, Geneva Join us for a critical event addressing the human rights of intersex people! Bodily integrity concerns us all. Everyone should be able to make informed decisions about their…
Categories: Human Rights -
Petition to the President of the European Commission
On July 17, together with All Out, ILGA Europe, ENAR, IGLYO, TGEU, ERGO Network, EL*C, and AGE Platform Europe, OII Europe delivered a petition to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Signed by 32,000 people, the petition calls on the Commission to not withdraw its proposed anti-discrimination Directive (also known as…
Categories: Open Letter -
Groundbreaking WHO publication calls for end of sex-normalizing surgeries
A group of researchers affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a systematic review focused on medical rationales for sex-normalising surgeries; the outcomes of that review were published recently (29.8.24). This publication is truly groundbreaking, because WHO Article https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pgph.0003568IHRA Press Release https://intersexdepath.org/global-bioethics-statement-calls-for-end-to-medically-unnecessary-intersex-surgeries/ “medically unnecessary genital surgeries imposed on prepubertal children and infants violate their…
Categories: International -
An in-depth look: Spain becomes fifth EU country to ban IGM
In February 2023, Spain became the 5th EU country to adopt a ban on intersex genital mutilation within the law “for the real and effective equality of trans people and for the guarantee of the rights of LGBTI people” (BOE-A-2023-5366). Article 19 of the law prohibits non-consensual genital modification practices performed on intersex minors under…
Tags: DepathIntersex, EU, Human Rights, IGM, IGM Ban, intersex human rights, Law, Legislation, spain -
OII Germany & OII Europe comment on deeply concerning German Family Court decision authorising an intervention on an intersex minor
Introduction In a recent decision from March 6th 2024, a German Family Court from Baden-Württemberg decided on a case brought forward by the parents of an intersex minor diagnosed with a form of CAH[1], who had requested authorisation to consent to an intervention to modify the minor’s sex characteristics. While Germany has a law that…
-
Data from European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) 2023 EU LGBTIQ Survey III shows intersex people face alarmingly increasing levels of violence
On May 14th 2024, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published the third edition of its survey on LGBTIQ people, providing up-to-date information on the lives of LGBTIQ people in the 27 EU Member States and EU candidate countries of Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. This year’s survey saw a significant increase in…
-
South Africa: third-party intervention in Semenya v. Switzerland
The International Commission of Jurists, the Organisation Intersex International Europe and the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association jointly filed a third-party intervention before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in a case concerning the South African athlete Caster Semenya. In July 2023, in its…
Categories: Press Releases -
United Nations addresses the human rights of intersex persons in ground-breaking resolution
This is a joint statement by: Ação Pela Identidade – API; African Intersex Movement; Beyond the Boundary-Knowing and Concerns Intersex (Hong Kong); Campaign for Change (CfC) (Nepal); Fundacja Interakcja (Poland); ILGA World; Intersex Asia; Intersex Community of Zimbabwe (ICoZ); Intersex Human Rights Australia; Intersex Human Rights India; Intersex Kenya Education and Advocacy (IKEAA); Intersex Movement…
Categories: Press Releases -
New resource: OII Europe Refugees & Asylum Seekers toolkit
We are happy to present the OII Europe Refugees & Asylum Seekers toolkit! Our new toolkit provides high quality information about supporting intersex refugees and asylum seekers. It also serves as a tool for professionals to learn about the specific challenges faced by intersex asylum seekers and refugees. Recording of the Online Launch Event of…
