“Europeans remain largely unaware of the painful personal histories of intersex people and the human rights violations they face. Stereotypes and norms grounded on the binary female-male classification have led to unnecessary medical and surgical interventions on intersex infants and a climate of incomprehension in society. It is time to address this unacceptable situation,” said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing a research paper on human rights and intersex people.
The six-chapter paper addresses the medical, legal and administrative obstacles which prevent intersex people, some of whom were called “hermaphrodites” in the past, from fully enjoying their human rights. “By publishing it, I intended to provide more detailed guidance to address this neglected human rights problem,” said the Commissioner.
The paper informs governments and practitioners about current ethical and human rights developments, including global best practices already taken to protect and empower intersex people, for example through reforms of equal treatment legislation. It also contains recommendations on ways to move forward in particular in the legal and medical fields. (more...)