Citation

Carpenter M. Sex. Reprod. Health Matters 2020; 28(1): 1731298.

Affiliation

Co-executive director, Intersex Human Rights Australia, Sydney, Australia; Master of Bioethics, Sydney Health Ethics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/26410397.2020.1731298

PMID

32204689

Abstract

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has published a background note on ending human rights violations against intersex people.1 The report provides a detailed analysis of human rights violations affecting intersex people and the way forward in addressing them, with a focus on: forced and coercive medical interventions; violence and infanticide; discrimination in healthcare, education, sport and other settings; legal recognition, and access to justice. It situates intersex people in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender stereotypes, female genital mutilation (FGM), and the rights of children, LGBT, and disabled people. In doing so, the report brings together and expands on a range of actions by UN bodies over the last decade. These actions include statements by UN Special Rapporteurs, Treaty Body recommendations to countries in all regions, publication of a website and fact sheet by the OHCHR, and an expert meeting. The note provides a report of this expert meeting on ending human rights violations against intersex persons, held in Geneva in 2015. The meeting gathered representatives of UN agencies and Treaty Bodies, human rights experts, and experts from civil society, clinical and biomedical ethics institutions and academia. The following paragraphs summarise some of the key messages, including in sections on understanding intersex, specific human rights violations affecting intersex people, and conclusions and a way forward ...

Language: en

Keywords

DSD; United Nations; differences of sex development; human rights; intersex