"Landmark moment for human rights": UN Council passes first resolution to protect intersex people's rights

The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted the first resolution defending the rights of intersex people.

Source: Reuters

Details: Reuters reported that diplomats and human rights organisations hailed it as a watershed moment in human rights history.

Finland, South Africa, Chile and Australia took the initiative to propose the resolution. 24 countries voted in favour, 23 abstained, and none voted against.

UN experts stated that 1.7% of babies born around the world are intersex, which means their sexual characteristics (chromosome set, internal and external genitalia, sex hormones, etc.) do not correspond to traditional ideas about men and women.

Many children undergo surgery to "fix" it. However, Amnesty International notes that such medical interventions violate human rights because they are typically performed on children who are too young to make decisions.

The resolution urges states to "combat discrimination, violence, and harmful practices against persons with innate variations in sex characteristics and address their root causes," as well as assist intersex people in achieving the best possible physical and mental health.

The document also requests that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights publish a report "examining in detail discriminatory laws and policies, acts of violence, and harmful practices against persons with innate variations in sex characteristics, in all regions of the world."

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