The inaugural IGLA Intersex Legal Mapping Report also provided some hope for the future of intersex human rights
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY BASEIMAGE
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) has released a report which shows that only six UN member states have laws prohibiting unnecessary medical interventions to modify the sex characteristics of intersex minors. These medical interventions have been known to leave physical and mental scars on intersex people throughout history.
In its first-ever Intersex Legal Mapping Report, ILGA documented the changes in legal developments globally which aim to improve the lives of intersex individuals. The report found that only Germany, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Portugal and Spain had laws which specifically stopped unnecessary medical intervention on intersex minors without their consent. This kind of legal protection is urgently necessary to protect the bodily autonomy of individuals with intersex variations across the world.
“This striking dearth of legal protection is still a reality despite the unanimous, systematic, and urgent calls of intersex civil society and international human rights bodies,” Crystal Hendricks, Chair of ILGA World’s Intersex Committee, said. “And yet, current positive trends give us reasons for hope.”
While a shocking 94% of UN member states have not made any sufficient legal attempt to protect intersex people’s right to bodily integrity and autonomy yet, the report did shed light on some positive legal developments. Eight countries including Australia, Belgium, and Finland have adopted legislation aimed to protect intersex people from discrimination on other grounds. Andorra, Chile, and Costa Rica were among seven countries that have introduced other legal norms aiming to improve intersex people’s equal enjoyment of their human rights.
“International human rights law is also playing its part,” Ilia Savelev, co-author of the Intersex Legal Mapping Report, commented. “Since 2009, intergovernmental organisations’ responses have evolved from indecisive suggestions to urgent and confident calls to legally prohibit and ensure accountability for non-consensual medical interventions on intersex minors.”
You can read the full report here: https://ilga.org/intersex-legal-mapping-report
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