''Human Rights between the Sexes'' is an analysis of the
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
of
intersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...
people in 12 countries. It was written by
Dan Christian Ghattas
Dan Christian Ghattas is an intersex activist, university lecturer and author who co-founded OII Europe in 2012 and is now executive director. In 2013, he authored Human Rights between the Sexes, a first comparative international analysis of the h ...
of the
Internationalen Vereinigung Intergeschlechtlicher Menschen' (the
Organisation Intersex International
The Organisation Intersex International (OII) is a global advocacy and support group for people with intersex traits. According to Milton Diamond, it is the world's largest organization of intersex persons. A decentralised network, OII was founded ...
(OII) in Germany) and published in October 2013 by the
Heinrich Böll Foundation
The Heinrich Böll Foundation (german: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e.V., HBS) is a German, legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with the German Green Party, it was founded in 1997 when three predecessors merged. The foundation was n ...
.
The countries studied were Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, New Zealand, Serbia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine and Uruguay.
Synopsis
The report is believed to be the first comparative international analysis of the human rights of intersex people.
It found that intersex people are discriminated against worldwide.
Ghattas states:
Ghattas found that:
*Genital "normalization" surgeries are widespread: "Nearly all over the world, intersex bodies are considered to be barely, or not at all, capable of being integrated into the social order. Therefore, genital surgery is performed from infancy to adolescence and adulthood in all examined countries."
*Gonadal tissue is removed in most countries, between childhood and adolescence. Hormone treatments are administered.
*There is minimal aftercare.
*Birth registrations, with a sex assignment, is required in most countries, within 4 weeks of birth.
*Intersex is treated as a taboo subject in all countries studied. Intersex people experience prejudice, often due to gender non-conforming behaviour and appearance.
*Human rights-based activism is only recently established, and the number of NGOs small and volunteer-based.
Ghattas makes five conclusions for human rights organisations:
#Raise awareness of the existence of intersex individuals.
#Increase visibility of intersex individuals and life situations.
#Encourage intersex people to self-organise and voice needs.
#Promote collaboration with NGOs.
#Take account of the needs of intersex people in all areas of human rights work.
The book is published in German as ''Menschenrechte zwischen den Geschlechtern''.
[, Evangelischer Pressedienst]
The book can be downloaded for free in either English or German.
See also
*
Dan Christian Ghattas
Dan Christian Ghattas is an intersex activist, university lecturer and author who co-founded OII Europe in 2012 and is now executive director. In 2013, he authored Human Rights between the Sexes, a first comparative international analysis of the h ...
*
Intersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...
*
Intersex human rights
Intersex people are born with sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, gonads, or genitals, that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies."
Intersex peop ...
References
External links
Heinrich Böll siteOII Germany siteHuman Rights between the Sexes, Heinrich Böll FoundationMenschenrechte zwischen den Geschlechtern, Heinrich Böll Stiftung
{{Discrimination
Bioethics
Human rights
Intersex rights
Intersex in non-fiction
Medical ethics
Medical controversies